Never Give Up
by mAu0103
Summary: AU; They met under unusual circumstances, still there was a strong connection that brought them together. But will they get their happy ending together when life itself starts to interfere? Naley
1. Chapter 1

****Hi guys!  
>Here's my Naley fic, my first one ever. I was pretty nervous about posting this, but someone told me I should do it, and gave me enough confidence to go through with it (you know who you are) - so thank you girls!<br>Anyway, hope you'll enjoy!

Disclaimer; Unfortunately, I don't own anything, even though I wish I did.

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><p><strong>Chapter one<strong>

Haley closed the door with her foot as she entered her apartment.  
><em>Thank GOD this day is over!<br>_It was almost 9 pm and she was exhausted. This was without question one of her longest days at work since she finished her internship almost a year ago. She let out a loud sigh as she slowly walked into the bathroom suite and turned the shower on while undressing, not caring that her clothes were thrown all over the floor, she was simply too tired to care. She quickly got into the shower when the temperature of the water felt just right. Haley closed her eyes and let the hot, running water wash over her. She raked her hands through her dark locks when the water hit her head as she moved under it. She stood there for a while and just let the water run over her body while her mind wandered…

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><p><em><strong>Earlier that day<strong>_

She had been at work since 4 that morning, thinking that she could maybe get off at a reasonable hour if she got an early start, but this day had planned something entirely different for her. First of all she got the pit, so she got all the trauma cases she could handle. Not that she minded though, because she loved the fact that in the pit you had to make fast and effective decisions, there was usually no time for hesitation about the cases that came rolling in. You had to be consistent and effective, and that was what Haley loved about this job. And that was the way she'd always been. At the top of her game every step of the way. Especially since the day that changed everything in her life. The day that turned her entire life around and the day when she became the person she is today. The day the world around her almost didn't exist, except for the people that had always been in her life and would always be there for her.

Around 2 pm, she finally got to take a breather. She sank down in one of the chairs in the lounge, rubbing her temples, trying to get rid of the throbbing pain that was shooting through her head. _Why on earth did I take this extra shift today? I never learn_! She let out a low sigh before she quickly swallowed a couple of aspirin with a sip of water, and leaned back again while putting her feet up on the tiny coffee table in front of her.  
>Her stomach then made a sound that made her realize she hadn't eaten anything since the energy bar she grabbed on her way to work this morning, and made a conclusion that she should get something to eat. She finished the bottle of water and noticed a couple of other residents talking and laughing at each other in the opposite end of the room, she smiled at them, before she decided that she would go down to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. She was about to pull her feet off of the table, when her beeper suddenly went off. <em>Great<em> _just what I need right now_! _Perfect timing as always_.  
>She closed her eyes for a moment before she got up and went down to the pit again. <em>At least I got to sit for about fifteen minutes, and that's actually not bad for today<em>. She thought as she walked fast to get there in time.

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><p>"What do we have?" Haley asked while the paramedic approached her with the stretcher.<br>"3 year old girl, foreign object stuck in the back of her throat". The blonde man said while Haley pointed them into a vacant examination room.  
>"How long has she been without air?" She asked while checking her oral cavity with her naked eyes. She used her tiny flashlight to see better and pushed her tongue down with a spatula.<br>"We lost her about 2 minutes before we arrived here." She heard the guy say.  
>"Okay, I need you to go get me a small tracheotomy tube, ASAP." She directed to the nurse standing next to the paramedic guy.<br>Haley nodded to the paramedic to let him know it was ok for him to leave and that she had everything under control after he gave her the rest of the little girl's current vitals. At least it seemed like she had everything under control, but inside she was stressing. She kept repeating the so called 'rule of 4 minutes' in her head. Which meant in theory she only had about 2 minutes left before her patient was in high danger of becoming brain damaged or worse; dead.  
>She couldn't let that happen to this little girl lying in front of her.<br>This was not the time to hesitate and think about solutions, and as far as she concerned, she only had one option.  
>She put on a pair of gloves, just as the nurse came back into the room with the tube. She had already wiped the little girl's neck with disinfection liquid to sterilize the area she was about to cut open.<br>"Now, Sarah, sweetie, this may hurt but I promise it will be over in a second." Haley said to the tiny, raven haired girl. Even though she was unconscious, and probably couldn't hear what she was saying, Haley always liked to talk to the patients. Trying to comfort them as much as possible and make the best out of the situation. It didn't matter if they didn't hear her or if they did. She would still let the patients know what was going on and what they were doing.  
>"Give me the scalpel." She said while holding out her hand. The nurse handed her the scalpel and Haley carefully made the small incision of the skin, exposed the windpipe, and then made the last cut through the cartilage so she could insert the tube.<br>After a few seconds the little girl started to re-gain some color in her face, which was a good sign. Haley let out a small breath as she saw that she had made the right decision. At least for now, they couldn't be completely sure about her mental status before she woke up, but at least she got her to breathe again, which is always good, and of course, first priority. In Haley's mind she didn't use that many seconds to insert the tube, which hopefully saved her life and allowed that little girl to have a normal life. She prayed to God that it wasn't too late.  
>As she was removing the small plastic piece from her throat, another nurse came into the room.<br>"Dr. James? Sarah's family is in the waiting room."  
>"Yes, thank you Jen. I'll be right out." She said while removing the offended object completely, which turned out to be a small plastic soldier. <em>Why does kids always have to put things into their mouths?<em> She thought and slowly walked out to the nurses station to give them information and instructions concerning the girl's current condition.

As Haley walked through the glass doors leading into the waiting area, almost all heads turned towards her with a hopeful and questionable look. She quickly scanned the room to see if she could recognize the little girl's family. She then saw a raven haired man sitting in the right corner with a young boy in his arms, the boy's head safely in the crook of the grown man's neck.  
>"Mr. Scott?" Haley asked. He had his back towards her.<br>The man got up quickly and turned around to face the soft voice that cut through the uneasy silence that was held in the room.  
>As he turned around and raised his head to look at her, Haley froze for a short moment as she met the clearest, bluest eyes she had ever seen, behind a pool of tears that was threatening to spill any minute. She could see how scared and worried this man was.<br>She quickly shook herself from her frozen state. "Can you please come with me, Mr. Scott?" She said with an easy voice while giving a small smile and extending her hand toward the man rubbing the young boys back as he approached her.  
>"I'm Dr. Haley James." She said as he took her hand.<br>"Nathan Scott." They both let the shake linger before Haley retracted her hand and slowly turned around.  
><em>What the hell was that<em>? She felt a weird tickling sensation going through her arm. She shook it off and turned her head again and met his worried, yet beautiful eyes, filled with tears.  
>"I managed to get the little soldier out from the back of her throat." She said, while walking through the hall, leading to the examination room where Sarah was lying.<br>When her hand was on the handle of the door, she stopped and faced him. "However, in order for her to get air supply to her lungs as soon as possible, I had to go into her windpipe through her neck, so she will have a small tube sticking out from her neck." She saw his eyes widen, and a whirlpool of emotions going through his eyes, as she told him about cutting into the little girl's neck. She thought about the risks for her becoming brain dead or damaged if she was without air supply for too long, she didn't want to scare the man unnecessary, and decided to withhold the word brain damage until she could be surer about the girl's condition herself.  
>She then put her other hand on his arm and looked into his eyes, smiling carefully. "Now, the tube is only temporarily. As soon as we know she's strong enough and her breathing is stable, we'll remove the tube, and stitch it right up. Which should be any minute now."<br>She entered the room and led him over to the little girl on the table.  
>"Sarah..." Nathan whispered in a low, broken voice and went over to her side while still holding the little boy. A single tear escaping, running slowly down his marked cheek bone at this point. "I don't know what I would've done if you...or if something had…" He choked on his words as a small sob escaped his throat.<br>Haley felt her own eyes start to water, but quickly blinked it away. This was always the hardest part, to watch the emotional exchange between the patients and their families.  
>"I'll give you a minute, Mr. Scott." She said before turning around to leave.<br>"Is she going to be okay?" Nathan asked before she reached the door.  
>She closed her eyes for a brief moment. She then took a deep breath before turning around to face the worried parent in front of her. "As of right now, we really don't know. We won't be completely sure until she wakes up. It all depends on how long her brain was without oxygen." She tried to sound calm and comforting. "However, if the estimated time I got from the paramedics, that brought her in, is correct, and my own calculations added, I truly believe that she will be fine." She smiled.<br>"Thank you, Dr. James." His soft, broken voice giving her trembles down her spine.  
>"Please, just call me Haley."<br>"Thank you. Haley." A tiny, but fragile smile formed at the corner of his mouth.  
>Haley felt her temperature rise in an instant as her name left his mouth. She returned the small gesture with a comforting nod and turned around before he could see her face starting to blush.<br>_What the hell is wrong with me! I'm probably just tired_. _And my blood sugar level is low, so…_ She tried to reason herself for acting weird just now. After all, she had been here since four this morning, and she hadn't been able to eat anything. _Yeah that's definitely it_. She gave herself a nod, while walking over to the nurse's station to complete Sarah's chart.

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><p>"Where can I find Sarah Scott? Is she here? I need to see her!" A terrified voice suddenly broke through Haley's thoughts as she worked on the chart.<br>She turned around to find a dark haired, beautiful woman standing by the glass doors that led from the waiting area. She gave the chart to the nurse sitting behind the desk, and walked over to the young woman, who looked like she was around her own age.  
>"Hi, Mrs. Scott? I'm Dr. Haley James. I've been taking care of your daughter." She smiled.<br>"Is she okay? Where is she? Has my husband arrived yet?" The scared woman looked around and was unable to meet Haley's eyes. Her breathing was rapid, and she was clearly stressed.  
>"Mrs. Scott." Haley said a bit firmer and raised her voice slightly, to get her attention.<br>The brunette stopped pacing and faced the slightly shorter woman in the white coat.  
>"Dr. James, was it? I'm sorry, I'm Brooke Davis Scott." She shook Haley's hand. "I just got a message about my baby girl being in the hospital, and I totally panicked!" Her voice was still trembling, but she seemed to have calmed down a little.<br>"Well, your beautiful daughter is doing just fine. Here, let me take you to see her and your husband." She motioned her hand towards the room her family was sustained. "And please call me Haley." She smiled, and received a confirming nod in return from the brunette.

"Oh, my God! Nathan…" Brooke said in a shaky voice as she saw the scene in front of her. She ran over to Sarah's bedside and carefully touched her face and stroked her hair. She kissed her softly on her forehead. "Aw, baby. Mommy's here now, everything is going to be fine." Brooke turned around and threw her arms around Nathan, letting her emotions go completely as she sobbed loudly against his chest. "What happened, Nathan?" She asked while pulling away a little to look into his face.

Haley was still standing in the doorway, observing this adorable family with a smile on her face. They were still pretty shocked, but happy at the same time now that they knew their little girl was going to be fine. They had removed the tube and stitched her up minutes before Brooke came, and when Sarah had woken up again, they quickly figured out that she was going to be okay. Their son was sitting in the chair on the other side of his sister's bed. Haley figured he'd be no more than 4 or 5 years old. It didn't really seem like he understood what was going on or the extent of the situation as he was fiddling with his toy car in his lap.  
>"I just turned around for a second, to help Daniel down from the stool by the kitchen counter. By then, Sarah had already grabbed and swallowed one of Daniel's plastic soldiers." Nathan's face fell and he looked over at Sarah. "It was only a split of a second Brooke!" Tears fell from the edge of his eye.<br>Her hand came up and palmed his cheek, as she brushed away the tear with her thumb.  
>"Nathan. This is not your fault. Okay? You know how quick they can be at that age." She said, trying to give him a smile. "And besides, she is going to be fine. The doctor just told me, and I'm sure she told you too." Brooke turned her head and looked at her little angel. Nathan's arms were still encircling her.<p>

"I'm really sorry to interrupt, but could one of you please come with me to take care of Sarah's paperwork? I just need a couple of signatures and then you'll be able to take her home." Haley said in a soft voice to the couple standing next to their daughter's bed.  
>Nathan dropped his hands along his side as he turned around to look at Haley. His blue pools piercing her own brown, emitting a mix of emotions she'd never seen before. His smile could almost reach his eyes, which was filled with gratitude, happiness and something else she couldn't really pinpoint.<br>Haley swallowed sharply as she felt a sting in her chest. He held her gaze for, what seemed to be forever in Haley's mind, and she too, was unable to let it go. Her stomach started to flutter, and the uncontrollable blush once again swept over her face. _Shit, pull yourself together! First of all you're at work and should be able to act in a professional way. Second, he's married to a gorgeous woman and he just got the good news about his little girl. Don't even go there! Unprofessional Haley!  
><em>"We'll be right out." He said, his eyes never leaving Haley's.

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><p>A few minutes later, Brooke came out to join Haley.<br>"Brooke!" A sandy blonde, blue eyed man called, as he came running towards them. She looked up from the form she was signing, let out a sigh and smiled at the man.  
>He embraced her in a hug and held her for a while before pulling back. He looked into her eyes with worry.<br>"I just got your message. I was with a client that wouldn't stop talking." He said with a slightly annoyed tone. "How is she?"  
>"She's fine. Nathan's with her now." Her eyes narrowed as she was smiling.<br>"Thank God." The blonde man breathed out and a big smile formed on his face. He then leaned down and kissed her tenderly. His hands cupped her face.  
>Haley's eyes widened, and she quickly looked away. <em>What the hell<em>?

"Mommy! Daddy!" They all turned around.  
>Nathan now walked out of the room carrying both of the children. <em>My God he's good looking with his faded grey jeans and black short sleeved t-shirt, and yes, the kids also look good on him.<br>_The little blue eyed girl was squealing in his arms as they got closer.  
>Nathan put Daniel down and he ran over to the blonde man, throwing his tiny arms around the taller mans legs.<br>"Hey there little man!" He lifted the boy into his arms, and popped a kiss on his forehead.  
>Brooke turned around to face Haley, Sarah was now in her arms.<br>"I'm sorry Dr. James, um, I mean Haley." The brunette smiled.  
>"This is my husband, Lucas Scott." She said, directing her gaze at the blonde man holding the little boy.<br>"Hi. I'm Lucas." The handsome blonde held out his hand.  
>"I'm Haley James." She said accepting his gesture. "And your daughter is going to be just fine. All you have to do is make sure the band aid on her neck doesn't get wet. If it does, then change it." She smiled while looking at the little girl in her mothers arms. "And then come back after 10 days to remove the stitches."<br>"That's it? So she won't have any problems eating or swallowing after this?" He asked, raising his eyebrow a little.  
>"She will probably be a little sore and tender at first. Just be careful and make her eat small pieces of food until the scratches in the back of her throat heals properly. Of course fluids are to prefer, at least for the first couple of days. And if her pain gets worse, then I'll give you a few painkillers for her to take. But only if she expresses any pain or that you feel she's having problems eating and swallowing."<br>"Wow, I cannot believe this. Thank you so much, not only for saving her life, but also mine." Nathan said in a playful tone, and then moved his gaze over to Lucas. At first Lucas gave him a death glare, but it soon changed into a small laughter.  
>"Dude, you can forget about babysitting anytime soon after this." Lucas said, giving Nathan a playful smile as he bumped his shoulder.<br>"Are you absolutely sure that she will be fine?" Nathan asked again with an underlying worry in his voice, all joke aside.  
>"Yes, I'm sure that she will be perfectly fine in a few days or so. You have nothing to worry about." Haley smiled at the beautiful man, but looked quickly away to avoid his intense gaze.<br>"You have to forgive my brother for being an oversensitive pansy." Lucas joked.  
><em>Aha, brothers. That explains a lot.<em>  
>"Hey! I'm not a pansy!" Nathan said, acting hurt as his hand covered his chest.<br>"Okay, you two funny guys. That's enough, I'm sure that the sweet lady doctor here has more important things to do than listen to you two idiots arguing about who's more macho than the other." Brooke's dimples forming as she smiled at her.

Haley started to feel a little uncomfortable as the light bantering kept on going between them for another minute, yet somehow she also felt like these people were easy to be around. They weren't as uptight and formal as most other people she met while being at work. And she loved the fact that, even though they'd just been going through a pretty disturbing and terrifying event, they could still smile, laugh and see all the good things they gained from this situation.  
>She suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring at her.<br>_Okay, don't turn your head now! Damn_! A small shiver ran through her, as she did. She let herself drown in those piercing blue eyes, just for a second, before she snapped back to reality. _Fuck! Now get your shit together and act like you always have and usually do!_ She took a deep breath and swallowed to control herself.  
>"Well, I'm glad to see that you're all going to be fine." She forced her eyes back at Brooke and the little girl. "And if something was to happen or you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. You all know where to find me." She gave them all a smile and shook their hands.<br>"Thank you very much, again. We cannot thank you enough." Brooke and Lucas expressed with great gratitude.  
>Behind them she saw Nathan giving her a tiny smile and a small nod before he turned his attention to Sarah and tickled the little girl until she was laughing hysterically on their way out.<br>Her insides were flipping, and again her face became flushed.  
><em>Stop embarrassing yourself!<br>_She turned back around to get the next file in the stack, there was no time to waste, and she also needed to get a certain person out of her mind. Still, those blue eyes kept haunting the back of her mind throughout the rest of the day.

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><p>AN: Well, there you go. The first one is out, and I think I survived, at least I hope so. Please review, if you want, I would love to hear what you think! Both the good and the bad.<br>I don't think it will be long until the next chapter is up, if this is something you will continue to read?

M


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer; I do not own anything, except my own twisted storyline

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

"Can't we ask Nathan to take her for a couple of hours?" Brooke spoke into her cell that was resting between her shoulder and ear. She was running around the kitchen making Daniel's lunchbox, while keeping an eye on her two children sitting on the floor in the living room watching cartoons.  
>It was nine days since they'd been at the hospital with Sarah, and she was doing fine. The only problem they were experiencing was that she liked to play with the band aid covering the stitches, and she often pulled it off, to their big concern. So they had to keep a constant eye on the little girl, so that she wouldn't rip out the stitches.<p>

"No, he's flying out to California via New York today. He won't be back until tomorrow morning." Lucas said in the other end. He'd had an early morning meeting with his secretary about his new client he was meeting tomorrow. "He said he could help us out tomorrow though. You know I have meetings all day tomorrow that I can't get out of."

"Yes, I know that darling. I only wish that at least one of us would be able to take Sarah to the hospital tomorrow, you know." She sighed into the phone.

"I know baby. But unfortunately, with our jobs, sometimes that crashes with everything else. I really wish I could reschedule some of my meetings, but two of them have already been changed twice. I'm sorry." He said softly.

"No, no, don't be sorry honey. This is just as much my fault as it is yours. And we both know that if it was possible, we would've been there tomorrow." She smiled and looked over at her two perfect miracles; sitting leaned against each other in the living room.

"Yes, you're right. And I'm pretty sure that Nathan will take good care of her. " Lucas said smiling as he turned into their driveway.

"Where are you now, anyway?" Brooke turned around and then she heard the front door open.  
>The biggest smile formed on her face when she saw her husband entering the kitchen, still holding his phone to his ear.<p>

"I'll call you later; I have to kiss my wife now." He said while smirking as she met him half way. He leaned down and kissed her, a kiss that soon got deepened by Brooke before he got a chance to pull away.

"Mmm, you better." She nuzzled into his lips, before they pulled away and smiled at each other.

"I know I'll be missing you a lot the next couple of days, so you should expect late night calls from your sexy husband." Lucas smirked at his wife.

She raised her eyebrow and looked at him."You promise?" She said in a husky tone.

"When have I ever let you down?" He closed the gap between them and placed a lingering kiss behind her ear before he pulled back and looked into those hazel eyes he'd learned to love and always find a peace within. Brooke then placed a chaste kiss on his lips and took a step back.

"So are you absolutely sure that Nathan will take care of Sarah tomorrow?" She turned back to the counter and finished making what was left of Daniel's lunch.  
>She couldn't help but worry, it would probably always be like this when it came to her children.<p>

"Yes, he said he'll be at the airport around 7. So he'll make it over here before I have to go to the office."

"Good. Now, I hope I can trust you men to take care of my babies while I'm away?" She said in a joking tone.

"Don't you have any faith in me, Brooke Davis?" Lucas took one step closer, so he was standing behind her in front of the counter. She leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes as his hands came around her waist and rested on her stomach.

"You know I love my own name, but I like it better when you use my full name. You know the name I got from my sexy husband." She smiled when she felt his hot breath against her skin on her neck. He nuzzled below her ear before placing soft kisses at the area. Moving toward her jaw, he directed her face with his hand so that he could finish with a kiss on her lips, so deep and tender that she could barely keep herself standing. "Okay, Brooke Davis Scott." He whispered against her lips.

"I would love to continue this, and you have no idea how much." Her voice was barley over a whisper and thick with lust. "But I have to get going, I've got a flight to catch." She groaned as she looked at the clock on the microwave.  
>"Here's Daniel's lunch. And please try to get off work early today. No junk food and no TV after six, okay?" It was more like an order than a question. Lucas just stood still and smiled as he watched his wife walking over to their children to kiss them goodbye. She came back and gave him one more peck on the lips before leaving.<p>

"Love you! And remember, bed by seven, no later!" She yelled from the hall before she ran out to her car.

"Bye baby! Have a safe flight, and call me when you land." Lucas yelled and heard the door slam shut at the same time.

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><p>"You still remember that you have to take Sarah to the hospital tomorrow, right?" Lucas asked Nathan on the phone.<p>

"Come on man. Have I ever forgotten anything that has to do with the kids?"

"No, I guess you haven't. It's just that Brooke was really stressing that it is important to make the scheduled appointment at the hospital."

"I can only imagine dude. Sometimes I don't understand how you put up with her, she's quite a handful." Nathan laughed into the phone.

"Careful little brother. In case you haven't noticed, she does an excellent job taking care of my babies, your niece and nephew by the way. Besides, she keeps me in check most of the time as well." Lucas snapped back, but in an easy tone.

"Yeah…" Nathan chuckled, and couldn't help but thinking that if only he could find someone to love, the way his brother loved Brooke. Then the image of _her _suddenly popped up in his head. He remembered her kind, beautiful eyes. Her gorgeous face encircled by her chestnut color locks, falling softly on her shoulders. He still remembered when she had touched his arm right before he got in to see Sarah. It was like a sting that radiated through his entire body. That single touch actually removed all of his worries at that very moment, but they came back the second she removed her hand. He was amazed of what that simple gesture did to him; this was totally new to him.

"Nate! Where'd you go man?" He was snapped out of his daze by Lucas' voice.

"Sorry. I'm fine." _Thank god Lucas cannot hear my thoughts! I would've never heard the end of it. God I'm such a wimp! _"But listen, I'm taxing out on the runway right now, so I have to go. But say hi to the children from me. And I'll see you tomorrow, okay bro? I'll come straight from the airport, I promise."

"Okay Nate. See you tomorrow, and have a safe flight!" Lucas hung up, and got out of his car.  
>He had some paper work to do at the office while the kids were at daycare center. He had actually managed to get them to take Sarah for a few hours as well since their nanny had called in sick today, that way he could do a lot more work on shorter amount of time, which he really appreciated. Some days he really loved how the Scott charm made all women do whatever he wanted them to do, that was within reason, of course. His smirk disappeared the minute he entered his office and noticed the pile of papers that lay across his desk. He let out a small sigh before sitting down and slowly starting to work his way through the tower of files in front of him.<p>

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><p>"I'm actually on my way right now." Haley spoke into her phone as she walked out of the hospital. "Believe it or not, but I have the rest of the day off. So I'm all yours!" She smiled and walked past the parking lot towards the station.<br>Haley had pretty much lived at the hospital for the last week or so. There was no point sitting home doing nothing, so she might as well get some work done. Besides, she loved her job. And she needed to distract herself, at least try not to let those blue orbs manipulate their way into her mind, which they easily did no matter what. But when she was working she got new distractions for every new patient that came in. So she told herself; why not do a good deed and save some lives then. This way she'll save her own life as well, because she would seriously have gone mental if she was just sitting around torturing herself about a man she'll probably never see again.

"Good!" The other voice exclaimed. "I need my Haley time. I'm seriously in deep shit over here!"

"Ha-ha! Aren't you always in deep shit, Peyt?" Haley used her sarcastic voice and chuckled.

"And the punches just keep on coming." The blonde said hurtfully in return. "Isn't it better to save the punches for a certain dark haired asshole?" She asked.

"Now, come on Peyt. There's no need to use names. Besides, you're not exactly innocent in this whole thing either. You pretty much screwed this up together, remember?"

"Ugh, yes you're right. Why do you always have to remember everything all the time, Miss James?"

"Because, I'm a nerd. And its Dr. to you, thank you very much." The underlying teasing tone was easily shining through.

"Why, I'm so sorry! It will never happen again." She said while chuckling. "So I guess I see you at my _appointment_ in about ten minutes then, Dr?" Now she was grinning, as she approached her apartment.

"Ha-ha! Yeah, I'm only five minutes away. See you soon!" Haley finished their conversation and chuckled to herself. _She's really something_.

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><p><em>I'm so glad that we're almost there. Sometimes I don't understand why I put up with these rich snob's. Everything has to happen after their fucking schedule. God forbid the temperature in the cabin isn't correct, or the wine was wrong, they wanted another type after all, or it's not cold enough. God damn! Next trip I'll let Jake do. At least I need a break from these ridiculous wannabe celebrity morons<em>. Nathan was almost in L.A., after picking up a couple of girls from a reality TV show, in New York. God, he couldn't stand them, how they acted like they ruled the world or something. And could they be more obvious with their constant flirting! _I'm so sick of those barley 18 year olds, Barbie blonde skanks that throw them selves all over me, and do anything to get my attention.  
><em>Nathan felt kind of grown up and responsible as it came to his senses that this was not the way he wanted to live anymore. Sure he'd been with his share of women throughout the years, but during the last year or so, something inside of him had changed. He realized he wanted what Lucas and Brooke had. He wanted to find the woman and the mother of his future children. And seeing these young girls make a fool out of themselves didn't make him want it any less. There was a time when he never thought this day would come, but lately there was something inside of him that strengthened this feeling. He didn't know why or what made him realize this, but at least he knew what he wanted with his life now, so that had to be something._  
>God forbid I actually go out back into the cabin and just put them out of their misery. Ugh! <em> He chuckled to himself. He would never do that. He was just trying to focus on anything other than the one person that had been invading his mind ever since he saw her. Nathan couldn't get her out of his mind and it was starting to influence his behavior around people, since he was always zoning out whenever he thought about her beautiful smile and amazing eyes.

"DNS-2312, we are ready for your landing. You can start your approach now. Over" Nathan was suddenly pulled out of his daze, by the air traffic controller at ground control from LAX airport.

"DNS-2312, Captain Scott speaking. We are ready for landing. Over"

"Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts, as we are ready for landing shortly." Nathan informed over the speakers throughout his jet.  
>He couldn't help but smile to him self as he thought about what was waiting him when he finally returned back home tomorrow morning. At least he hoped so. And once again those brown pools blocked everything else out of his mind.<p>

* * *

><p>It was almost 10 pm and Haley was still at Peyton's. They had pretty much talked all night, or I guess you could say that Peyton had done most of the talking; bitching was also an appropriate term to use.<p>

"You know, Peyton? As much as I love to hear more about your ramble about how big of an ass Chase is, I really have to get going." She checked her watch and groaned. "Damn! It's already ten, and I have an early shift tomorrow."

"Fine, I actually have to get up early my self. However, I'll let you go on one condition. Please come see me after work tomorrow? I probably have a lot to tell you after my meeting with my divorce lawyer tomorrow morning. I don't think I can hold out another week before I get to see my foxy again." The curly blonde grinned.

"I promise I'll call you when I get out and we'll have dinner or something, okay?" Haley chuckled at her friend. "And don't worry; you will get through this just fine. My guess is that Chase is probably doing worse than you now. He'll end up being the loser in this whole thing. Not you." Haley gave Peyton a comforting look and smiled.

Peyton walked over to Haley and embraced her. "I don't know what I would've done without you, Haley. You're a life saver, literally and metaphorically." She giggled.

"Oh, you know it!" Haley giggled back. "But seriously, I'm here for anything, keep that in mind, okay?" She gave her a more serious look.

"I know. And you know I love you for that, thank you!" Peyton finished and gave Haley one last hug before the brunette left out the door, giving her a wink over her shoulder as she did."Love you too, curly!"

* * *

><p>Haley groaned as the alarm clock made terrible sounds. She rolled over and smacked it off. The red neon lights showed 06:00. She got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom suite, turned the shower on, then went out to the kitchen and started the coffee maker.<br>After about 20 minutes she was dressed and ready for a new day, or almost ready.  
><em>Thank God for coffee! There's no way in hell I would've made the early shifts without this miracle of pure pleasure<em>. She quickly made herself a bowl of cereal and drank her compulsory cup of morning coffee, before she grabbed her bag and left for work.  
>The tram she was taking that morning was held up due to some technical problem. So she was now a little late for rounds, but tried to run as fast as she could. <em>God I hate the tram!<em> _If only the incompetent mechanics could get my car ready, this would never happen. __Hope I still get to be in Dr. Geller's service today anyway_. She thought as she ran. He was the trauma attending doctor, and therefore the attending doctor for Haley's field of interest.

When she finally caught up with the other residents that had already started on rounds, the time showed 07:07. She inwardly groaned as she knew Dr. Geller hated when people were late.

"Dr. James, you are late." Dr. Geller said in a plain voice, without looking up.

"I know. I'm sorry sir." Haley apologized, standing behind the others.

"Well, as you probably already know, there's no room for slackers in the world of medicine."

"Yes I know that, and I am really sorry for being late, but please let me make it up to you. And I'll promise it won't happen again." She said in a pleading tone.

He looked around at the group of residents and then focused back on the chart he was holding.  
>"Dr. Davidson needs help in the clinic today. I'll see you tomorrow Dr. James." He said in a very firm tone.<p>

"Yes, sir" She answered defeated.  
><em>God damn! This was so not how I pictured my day. God I hate the clinic. It's usually nothing but runny noses, a tiny cough, or rashes here and there<em>. She sighed as she made her way down to the first floor.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile , Nathan was on his way to the hospital after picking up Sarah and taking Daniel to the daycare center. He was a little delayed on his flight back, so he didn't have time to change out of his uniform. In which he really hated, because whenever he wore it outside his plane or outside the office, people would always give him unwanted attention and ask him all kinds of questions. Hopefully, people would just mind their own business today.<br>He pulled up on the parking lot outside the hospital. Found a good spot and put the car in park, stepped out and walked around to get Sarah.

"Are you ready little angel?" He asked her and smiled.

"Ouchy is gone now." She said and laid her hand over the small band aid on her neck.

"That's right, ouchy will be gone soon." Nathan chuckled and lifted her out of her car seat. "Now, come on. Let's go inside."

Inside they were pointed to the waiting area after announcing their arrival at the nurses' station. Sarah was unable to sit still in Nathan's lap; she jumped up and down and was very fond of pulling at his tie. _She is such a mini-Brooke, no doubt_! He thought to him self while smiling and tried to keep her still.

* * *

><p>"Feel better, and please come back in case you start to feel worse again." Haley said as she exited the examination room.<br>She went over to the desk and put the chart in the pile for released and treated patients. She then grabbed the next chart in her pile, which was the 8 am appointment. She quickly flicked the portfolio open and scanned the page. _Sarah Scott._ She suddenly felt a weird sensation in the back of her neck by seeing her name.  
>Haley took a deep breath and made her way through the glass doors leading into the waiting area.<p>

"Sarah Scott." She called out into the room, and immediately froze as she saw Nathan getting up with Sarah in his arms.

_Oh crap! _

"Hi, it's nice to see you again. Mr. Scott." She said emitting a small smile and pointed them into the vacant room on her left side right after the glass doors. "And you too, Sarah! How are you doing sweetie?" She smiled at the little girl.

"Um, should I just put her on the bench over there?" Nathan asked and threw his coat on the chair next to the bench, while Haley closed the door. She quickly composed herself before turning around and joining the two, now standing next to the bench.

"Yes just have her lay down, and if you could get her to lie still on her back, that would've been great, Mr. Scott." She said with a light tone, not daring to look into his eyes.  
><em>God, why does he have to look so handsome? And what's with the uniform that makes him look even hotter! Shit!<br>_Haley felt a small blush starting to creep over her cheeks. She quickly turned around to gather a pair of gloves, a forceps and a scissor.

"I'll give it a try." Nathan said chuckling. His eyes glued to her back. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, so he could see the skin on her neck that was visible between the nape of her hair and her white coat. He really had to compose himself from not reaching out and touch her. Her skin looked so soft and smooth.

He was dragged out of his daze as Sarah pulled at his tie so he almost chocked. Tiny giggles broke the short silence that had started to build in the room.

"Careful now, Sarah. You're going to strangle me if you don't stop." He said and couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think you can lie back down and stay still for the nice doctor while she takes away your ouchy?" Nathan said in a soft, caring tone to the little girl, which was currently jumping up and down at the bench.

Haley chuckled at how he called her stitches, ouchy. _Can he seriously get any cuter!_

"Oh, and it's Nathan by the way." He said as she turned around to face them. She quickly looked into his eyes and smiled, before giving her attention to the mini brunette, which had settled down and actually laid down on the bench.

She carefully pealed the band aid off, and checked around the stitches. "Okay, so this looks pretty good." She looked at the girl, which stared back at her with big blue eyes. "Do you think you can lay super still for me now, Sarah?" She asked her. The tiny girl nodded her head while chewing her index finger, and closely paid attention to what Haley was doing. "That's my girl!" She grinned at her.

Nathan stroked Sarah's hair, and sneaked his eyes over at Haley. _Wow she's amazing! How was she able to calm Sarah down just like that? _

"Do you think you can help me hold her head still and keep her chin back for a minute, Nathan?" The second his name left her lips, he got chills down his spine.

"I'll do whatever you tell me to do, Dr. James." He gave her a sweet smile.

"Please call me Haley." She said with a soft smile. There was something about Nathan that made her want him to call her by her first name.

"Okay, Haley. I'm at your service." He said and held Sarah's head still on the table.

_Is he flirting with me? No, he's not. _She quickly pushed the thought out of her head and removed Sarah's stitches without any complications, and to her surprise the little girl didn't flinch once.

"There you go, all done! You did very well, Sarah!" Haley said as she helped her up in a sitting position. Sarah's eyes sparkling together with her big smile as she looked up at Haley.

"No more ouchy anymore." Haley and Nathan both laughed at the adorable toddler.

"Yes. Ouchy is gone now, munchkin." Haley said and pinched her cheek.

"So that's it?" Nathan asked. "We don't need to come back for a check up or something?"

"No, the wound has healed just perfectly. It will still be a little red, but in time you'll barely notice that there even was something there."

"Okay, so that's good." He said with a tiny disappointment in his voice. He was of course thrilled that Sarah was going to be okay, but a part of him wished that he could come back to meet Haley again. He picked up Sarah and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Do you want to go home to now, angel?" He said.  
>She nodded, but turned towards Haley and held out her short arm. "Come."<p>

Haley's heart melted at the gesture. "Sweetie, I'm sorry, but I have to stay here." She said to the girl that was now pouting at her answer. _She is the most adorable girl I've ever seen!_

Nathan chuckled. "Yeah, the nice lady has to stay here, Sarah. She has to help more people, just like she helped you today." He tried to get her attention. Her pouting slowly dissolved into a smile.

"So I guess that's it then." Nathan said as he flipped Sarah over in his left arm, and held out his right hand. "I really want to thank you for everything you've done for us. I know Brooke and Lucas are forever grateful that you saved their little girl. And so am I." He locked her gaze.

Haley swallowed and put her smaller hand into his larger one, as she held the gaze of his mesmerizing blue eyes. They both flinched at the electricity shooting through their arms, as they held on to each other hands longer than necessary.

"I only did what I've learned in med school, but it's always nice when it ends well." Her tone was light as she slowly pulled back her hand. "And I'm really glad to see her doing so good after what happened." She added.  
>She suddenly felt like something was missing after she retracted her hand, and a wave of emptiness shot through her.<p>

"We will always be grateful to you, so thank you again." Nathan ascertained her. "You have a high status in the Scott family now." Nathan continued and gave her a wink.

_Why does he always have to do something like that every time I've just pulled my ass together? _Her face slowly blushed again.

_Was that a blush? That makes her even sexier than she already is. _Nathan smirked a little at the thought.

Haley chuckled, and started to feel slightly disappointed as they slowly walked towards the door.

"Well, I hope everything will be fine. And you Sarah have become my favorite patient of all." She told her and grinned at her.  
>The little girl wriggled in Nathan's arms, in excitement by Haley's words.<p>

Nathan turned his head at Haley. "You have a good day then." He looked back at Sarah. "Say goodbye to the sweet doctor."

"Bye bye." Sarah said, holding her hand up and waving at Haley.

_Did he just call me sweet_? She inwardly smiled.

"Bye sweetie. And you have a nice day as well." She said, trying not to sound too disappointed. She let her gaze follow the two until they were out of sight.

_I guess that's it then. Ugh, this day's going back to sucking again_.

She went back into the examination room to clear out and make it ready for the next patient. This was usually something the nurses did, bur she couldn't find any available at the moment, so she didn't mind doing it herself. Besides it gave her some extra time to compose herself after the emotional rollercoaster she'd just been going through.  
>As she threw out the used material and was deep in her own thoughts, a soft knock on the door made her jump.<br>The door slowly opened before she could get to it, and Nathan carefully peeked in.

"I'm sorry, but is it okay if I come in?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. It's just me." Haley answered back. Her heart rate was rising in an instant as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Is there something I can do for you?" She looked at him questionable. "And where's Sarah by the way?"

"Um, well she's in the car. So I don't have much time." He said nervously. His hands were starting to sweat. He quickly wiped them on the side of his pants. "But I actually just forgot my coat." He said pointing over at the chair next to Haley.

"Oh." She said, looking down at the chair and saw his black trench coat hanging over the armrest.

She suddenly felt his presence, he was standing close. She slowly raised her head only to find him standing there, right next to her, and so close that she felt his breath in her hair. A shiver fired down her spine, as he slowly leaned down, his face even closer than before. She felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek. She swallowed sharply. She didn't dare to look at his face. Then, all of a sudden he pulled back, now holding his coat.

_God she's so beautiful. And the way she smell…I wonder what she would've done if I kissed her? _Nathan thought.

"So…" He said, still standing mere centimeters away from Haley. "I should probably get back to the car; I don't want to leave Sarah alone for too long." He quickly added to fill the weird silence that was about to take over.

Haley then brushed her hand over his arm before she even managed to think about what she was doing. She quickly retracted it and looked away when she saw Nathan's head turn down and looked at his arm where her hand touched.

"I uhh…didn't mean, um, I don't know…" _Great! Now I can't even form enough words to complete a sentence! _She blushed furiously at this point.

"Okay, listen. I really don't know what to say or how to say it." Nathan paused and stared at her. "And please forgive me if I somehow overstep some sort of boundaries." He paused again.

Haley raised her gaze to his face.

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "But, would it be too weird if I asked you out? Like on a date?"

_Oh my God! Is this really happening_?

"I know I'm being forward here, but there's something about you, something I cannot escape even though I've tried ever since I first saw you. I would really like to get to know you better." Nathan let out the breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Well…" Haley started. "I don't know what to say…" She had not expected this and her mind was spinning like crazy.

"Yeah, I know. You're right, that was out of line and highly inappropriate. Just forget I even said anything. I'm sorry." Nathan cut her off and took a step back.

Haley smiled inwardly at his shyness. _He's so cute_! She followed his step and put her hand on his arm again, only this time she held it still.

"No Nathan. I didn't mean it like that. I just never would've pictured you to think about me like that, just the way I'm thinking of you." She bit her lip and looked nervously into his eyes.

"Oh…I mean; what? Wow!" He smiled genuinely.

"I would love to go on a date with you, Nathan Scott." She said giving his arm a light squeeze.

He grinned down at her now. "Okay, so what do you say about Saturday at 7? I'll pick you up and take you out to dinner?" He asked as his hand was now covering hers that rested on his arm.

"Oh shoot! I'm supposed to work late on Saturday." She paused and tried to rake her brain for solutions. "But I can try switching it to an early shift instead." She said smiling at him. "And if that doesn't work. Why don't you take me out for a drink or two instead? In that case, I'll be done at 10. And we'll just skip dinner?" She smiled at him carefully and felt the anticipation inside of her rise ten fold.

Nathan had to swallow hard at that last statement. _She's just amazing! Where the hell has she been my entire life_?  
>He bent down, slowly, and placed a soft, quick kiss on her cheek before he whispered into her ear. "You've got yourself a date, Dr." He pulled back and gave her the famous Scott smirk.<p>

Haley tightened her grip on his arm, to keep herself from falling as she felt her legs starting to give away. She could also feel her face being all red by now, but this was uncontrollable. _Dear Lord, that smirk._  
>Never had she met someone which had that kind of effect on her. It was scary, but in a good way. She tried to compose herself before she made a complete fool of herself in front of this dreamy guy she was actually about to go on a date with.<p>

"Um, okay then. Do you have a number I can reach you on? So that I can let you know if we're skipping dinner or not." Her voice came out in a lower decibel than she intended.

Nathan pulled out one of his cards from his pocket, and wrote his private cell number on the back of it. "I'll be waiting for your call." He said as he gave her the card.

"I bet you will." She said flirtatiously.

Nathan walked over to the door, turned around one last time and gave her a soft smile, before he left.

_Okay, so maybe I don't hate the clinic. Hate is a strong word_. She thought with a big, dreamy smile plastered on her face.

* * *

><p>AN; <em>First, I want to apologize for the editing last chapter. I'm a rookie at this, but I think I got the hold of it now. <em>

_Allright, so things are heating up rather quickly between our favorite couple. Wonder if they'll be able to go on their date, and what will happen if they do? Only time will tell.._


	3. Chapter 3

****Disclaimer; Don't own a thing !

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

She ran quickly over to the nightstand as she heard the phone ringing. She had just entered her room after getting ice for her white wine. She ran over and answered before she had time to check the caller id.

"Hello?" She said, a little lost of breath.

"Hi, pretty girl! You sound like you've been doing exercises, and that doesn't match with your original description I'm afraid." Lucas said playfully.

"Well, I just sent the pool boy out the door, so that he can clean out the Jacuzzi for when other guests want to use it." She could easily picture Lucas' expression as she said it, and tried to hold back the giggle that was about to escape.

"Huh, so he actually did as I asked him to do, warm you up real good for me?" He smirked, as Brooke gasped and widened her eyes. That one totally backfired.

"Lucas Scott! You certainly have a dirty mind." She called out. "But I kind of like it." Her tone lowered.

Lucas chuckled into the phone. "I know you do babe. And that's why you love me, right?"  
>She smiled at the sound of his laugh. "I've missed you today. I still miss you." She said with a pout.<p>

"I miss you too Brooke. And if I could, I would've kissed your pout away right about now."

"Trust me, I wish that too!" She said, the pout getting even bigger.  
>"So how are the kids? Are they fast asleep?" She quickly changed the subject to lighten her mood. "And how did it go with Sarah and Nathan today at the hospital?"<p>

"They're both sleeping now. And everything went smoothly at the hospital. Nathan told me they actually got the same doctor that saved her life." Lucas told her and paused for a second. "And he was acting really weird when he talked about it or her." He added.

"Huh, well you know your brother is weird sometimes and I don't always get him. So I wouldn't put too much into it. But I'm glad everything is good with my little girl." Brooke grew a wide smile on her face when Sarah's face appeared in her mind. She was a wonderful mix of them both. With her dark hair and Lucas' blue eyes, she was nothing but perfection in her eyes.  
>She sighed. "Just one more day and I'll see you again. I hate being away from all three of you. And I especially hate sleeping alone."<p>

"I know you do, and so do I. It's kind of like you're my drug, both relaxers and enhancers." He chuckled.

"True, all I know is that I'm addicted to you, and I love it! I wouldn't change it for the world!"

"You know I love you, right?" Lucas said in a soft voice.

"Yeah I do, and I love you too darling." Her heart was beating fast even after all these years. She smiled when she thought back to the day they'd met. She was sold almost the second she laid her eyes on him. It was years later when Lucas had finally admitted that he didn't really like her after their first meeting. But, in Lucas' own words, after hard and dedicated wooing from Brooke's side, he didn't stand a chance.

"So what's your day like tomorrow? Did you land the Baileys today by the way?" Lucas spoke up again after a moment of silence.

"Yes, they were too easy. They were almost already in even before I started my pitch. " She laughed. "And tomorrow I just have to drop by the court room to witness a case, which shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. How about you?"

"Mine is not too bad either. Just have some paperwork to finish, but it shouldn't take too long, so I'll be able to get Daniel and Sarah early, before I'll come and pick you up at the airport." He smiled as he spoke.

"That sounds good! You are just the perfect husband, and you're all mine!" She said dreamily.

"Mmm, and you'll be all mine tomorrow night, for sure!" Lucas' tone turned into a husky tone.

Brooke shivered by his way too sexy voice and the mental image of what he was talking about.  
>"So let's get to bed and make tomorrow come faster then?" She said, as her voice became thicker.<p>

"I thought you'd never ask!" He chuckled. "Sweet dreams pretty girl. Love you!" He finished with a softer tone.

"Love you too Lucas! You have no idea!" She finished, before letting out a small yawn as she hung up.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until nine later that night Haley finally got off work. But she didn't really mind. She was practically on cloud nine rest of that day. Her colleagues had just given her weird looks as she walked around humming and smiling to herself. She had also sneak-peaked several times at the business card he had given her, just to remind herself that this was in fact real.<p>

_Cpt. Nathan R. Scott.  
>Royal private airlines.<em>

Each time she did her stomach fluttered like a thousand butterflies. _I can't believe he actually asked me out_!  
>Haley was sitting in her couch staring at his name, her legs rested on the table. Perfectly content by the knowledge of what was going to happen in 3 days, she got up and went to the kitchen and pulled out a water from the fridge, when she suddenly panicked.<p>

_Oh shit! What am I supposed to wear? I have absolutely nothing that will match his natural sexiness. And then he'll most probably cancel our date because I look like crap. Or at least end it after that one. What am I supposed to do!_ She felt the panic push the excitement away. _Ugh_!  
>She picked up her phone and dialed the number she knew so well by heart.<p>

"This better not be my so called best friend calling so late at night, unless she has a good explanation for waiting so long?" The other end answered after only two rings.

"Peyton. I hope you don't answer all your voice calls like this?" Haley said a little bitten aback by Peyton's harsh tone. "Besides, I actually DO have a perfectly good explanation for calling this late." She stated.

"Okay, I'm waiting. Let's hear it." Peyton said, her tone was easier now.

"He-he. Okay, so after being late for rounds today, I got thrown into the clinic as punishment by Dr. Geller." She started.

"Oh, my God! That's just horrible!" Sarcasm was seeping through Peyton's voice as she cut off Haley.

"What? No, that's not even the point. Or maybe it is. Wait, just let me finish will you?" Haley heard giggles in the other end.

"All right foxy, I'll shut up now."

"You're almost too kind, now aren't you Mrs. Adams or soon to be Miss Sawyer again." She playfully shot back and giggled.

"Ugh, you suck you know. So fine, you win. Now please continue." She stated dryly when Haley brought up her ex-husbands name.

"Ha-ha, sorry, but you kind of asked for it." She joked before she continued. "But anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I got the clinic because I was late, which by the way, you're right, I hate. Or more like hated, in the past." The image of Nathan's soft lips on her cheek suddenly appeared in her mind, and her face flushed once again, even though no one was around or even heard what she was thinking about.

"So you know I told you about this little girl I saved almost two weeks ago? Now what I left out of that story was her extremely hot uncle, which at first I thought was her father."

"What? Wait, so you deliberately held back important information? Since when did we not tell each other everything Miss James?"

"I wouldn't say deliberately, I just didn't think that it was important at that time. Even so, I'm telling you now aren't I? So quiet down please!" Haley couldn't help but smile at her friend that was offended by the fact that she didn't tell her about Nathan until now.

"So, that was ten days ago. And today was their appointment to remove her stitches in her neck. And guess who came with her to the clinic?"

"I would say the hot uncle, but that seems like such an easy answer." Peyton mocked.

"Ha-ha, you're funny, but you're also correct. It was of course her oh-so-fine-hunk of an uncle, which FYI is a pilot." The excitement in her voice was impossible to hide now.

"Oh, my! Does your hunk have a name? And please God, tell me this story has a happy ending!" Peyton raised her voice a little, also more excited now for her friend as she waited for Haley to answer.

"First of all; his name is Nathan Scott. Secondly; yes, he asked me out when he came back for his coat that he forgot. So... we're going out on Saturday." Haley exclaimed. "And the reason I called you now, is because I have a matter of what to wear, and that is, I have nothing! And I need your help!"

Peyton was now laughing. "God Haley, will you just calm down. First of all, this sounds pretty big; I've never heard you this excited about a date before. But I'm glad." She smiled. "And second, of course I'll help you. But you do have a lot of sexy dresses and shoes in your closet, so we don't necessarily need to go shopping. However, I'm there for you either way, honey." Peyton said to try and calm her friend. In which also seemed to have the desired effect.

"Thanks Peyt." Haley breathed out. "And also, I'm sorry I was unable to call you earlier. But I was held back at the hospital till, well now." She said in a tiredly.

"That's fine. Don't worry about that. But I do have something to tell you from my meeting with my lawyer today. However, if you want to go to bed, it can wait till tomorrow? How about lunch? You're not working tomorrow, right?" Peyton rambled out.

"No I finally have a day off. So I would love to meet for lunch tomorrow and hear all about your messy divorce." She teased. "But I would like to sleep in for a while, I feel like I haven't slept in weeks." She felt the tiredness and the exhaustion slowly taking over as she sat back down on the couch again.

"How about we meet at one o'clock at the corner across from my building?" She continued.

"Yeah, that sounds perfect! You know I also like to sleep in, so you didn't really need to ask." Peyton giggled.

"Yeah I kind of know that you do, but you get to sleep in every day! That's not even fair. I clearly chose the wrong profession." Haley pretended to be jealous.

"Ha-ha, yeah right! You know you were born to be a doctor, and you know you love it, so don't even go there!" She said mockingly.

"I guess I can't argue with that." Haley gave in. "So, I'll see you tomorrow then. I think I'm actually going to get some sleep now and dream about my hot date." Haley said in a dreamy voice.

"That sounds fair. I'm also going to shut down now. See you at one! And try to keep your dreams somewhere close to PG-13." Peyton laughed.

"Sweet dreams to you too, loser!" Haley mocked back before they both hung up and went to bed.

* * *

><p>The day went by fast. Lucas got to finish his pile of paperwork early, so he took the rest of the day off to spend with Daniel, Sarah and Nathan, before he had to pick up his wife at the airport later in the afternoon. He had planned a nice, candlelight dinner for when they got back home. He had even convinced Nathan to take the kids for the night in exchange for him to get them tickets for the next Charlotte Bobcats game. There were no limits for what he would do to spend a night alone with his amazing, beautiful wife. Of course he loved his children, more than anything. But they needed a night to themselves every now and then. So they could nurture their marriage, just the two of them. Not that they really needed any extra attention or special occasion, because their relationship was full of love and passion. But it's nice to have a night alone, just grown ups, and no children. A bright smile was plastered on his face by the thought of his wife.<p>

* * *

><p>Haley and Peyton had been to lunch, rambling non stop about Peyton's divorce and of course Haley's upcoming date. It turned out that Chase had finally agreed to settle for half, even though he wanted more. But Peyton's lawyer was none other than Lucas Scott, and he really knew his way around paragraphs and dirty tricks. It was of course done and settled in a legal way, nothing ever went under the table when it came to the Scott's. Both Brooke and Lucas were highly professional and highly respected by other colleagues around the country.<p>

"How weird is it that your divorce lawyer is Nathan's brother? Which is also good looking by the way." Haley finished her glass of wine.

"I know. It's super weird, but also kind of cool. It's a small world after all." Peyton smiled. "So are you ready to go find a super sexy dress, for the hot date you're having on Saturday?" She winked at Haley. Whose eyes kind of gave away the answer all by them selves, as they almost went around inside her head.

"Mhm, I guess I would have to say yes to that." She stated with a dreamy smile all over her face.

"Oh, come on! Snap out of your crazy daze Hales!" Peyton was already on her feet, ready to go. Haley started to blush a little as she suddenly touched her cheek and thought back on the kiss he'd given her. She could still feel the sensations that kiss sent through her entire body just by thinking about it. She got pulled out of it rather quick as she heard Peyton squeal next to her.

"Something happened, right? I know I'm right. What are you not telling me? Spill it all, James! Haven't we had this discussion before, huh? No lying!" She almost yelled out.

"Geez Peyt, do you need a sedative or something?" Haley joked.

"Come on nerd, tell me, there's no fooling me, and you know it." She stated firmly.

"You really are a pain in my ass, P. Sawyer." Haley said trying to act annoyed. But a smile formed at the corners of her mouth the next second, which soon turned into a big grin. "Okay, so there's a slight possibility that he might've kissed me." Her face now turned all red again.

Peytons eyes widened in ecstasy. "Oh, my God! How was it? Did you kiss him back? God you're such a slut!" She threw out.

"Wow, wow, wow. It was only on my cheek. And I'm not a slut, although I might be one on Saturday." Haley said playfully and winked at her friend that was grinning back at her.

"Hah, such a dirty mind of the M.D. over here, but I like your style best friend!" Peyton said as she took Haley by her hand and dragged her along, both giggling.

* * *

><p>Nathan let out a frustrated sigh as Daniel once again had knocked over his glass of juice on the counter. It was like the millionth time, and he was getting tired of wiping spilled fluids.<p>

"How about you go play with your soldiers in the living room instead, huh buddy?"

"I'm sorry Uncle Nathan. But it slipped." The younger boy hung his head and pouted, clearly catching the annoyance in Nathan's voice.

"Hey, it's only juice, so let's just forget about it and go watch some TV before bedtime, what do you say, huh?" Nathan tried to console the obviously upset boy, and regretted the harsh tone he used before.  
>Daniel's face brightened up by the mention of TV. The next second he was already placed in the couch in front of the TV in Nathan's living room. Nathan chuckled by the sudden mood changes of the little boy.<br>He finished wiping off the counter and put the juice carton back in the fridge. He then turned to Sarah sitting in her chair playing with her doll.

"Are you ready for bed munchkin?" He lifted her out of her chair and started climbing the stairs.

A little while later, as he descended the stairs, after successfully getting Sarah to sleep, his phone started to ring. He reached for it inside his pocket and checked the caller id.

_Huh, unknown number. Please don't let it be work_…He inwardly groaned. But then he remembered that this was his private number, so he should be safe.

"Hello?"

"Yes hello? Is this Nathan?" The other voice asked back.

_Wait I know this voice_. His stomach could easily confirm that.

"This is um, Haley James, did I get the right number?" She continued since the other end was silent.

"Um yeah. Hi Haley! This is me. Nathan." He quickly added his name and smiled.

"How are you? I hope I'm not disturbing." Haley felt her face and neck getting warmer just by the fact that she was talking to him. "I just wanted to call about Saturday actually." She added before he could respond.

"Oh, no it's ok. I'm all alone, if you don't take the two toddlers into consideration that has taken over my house at the moment." He chuckled.

"Aww." Haley's heartbeat increased as she pictured Nathan alone with Daniel and Sarah. "I can call back later if this is a bad time." She quickly shot in.

"No, no! Sarah's asleep and Daniel's stuck in front of the TV, so I'm good." He smirked even though she couldn't see him. "So how you been?" He was scared that she was calling to cancel their date on Saturday.

"I've been good! I uh… was just thinking, about Saturday…" A short silence claimed both sides of the conversation before she continued. "I managed to get someone to take my shift, so I've got all day off after noon." She finally got out.

Nathan let out a small breath of relief to him self.

"That sounds good! But does that mean you want an early date or should I still pick you up at 7?" The small excitement was evident in his voice. He didn't care what time of the day she was available, as long as he got to see her.

"It doesn't really matter to me, because I'm free all Sunday too." She was playing with her hair as she lay comfortably on her couch. "So I can stay out long on Saturday if I want to." She added and bit down on her lip.

Nathan felt himself get warm. _God, is she trying to kill me_? "Oh, really? Is that so?" He raised his eyebrow. "I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into, Miss James." He said in a flirtatious way and smirked.

Haley released her bottom lip from her teeth. "Mhhm, I can't wait." She said seductively.

_God I wish Saturday would just come already_! Haley zoned out, again.

"Well, all I can say is that you're in for a treat."

"Hmm, care to reveal what that would be?" Haley twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers.

"Sorry, no can do, you just have to wait and see. Your one and only job is to be ready at 7." His voice was soft.

"Oh, well can't blame a girl for trying." She said playfully. "I look forward to it." Her tone switched in the matter of seconds.

"So do I." He said. A short silence claimed both ends before Nathan spoke up again.

"So uh…I'll see you on Saturday then?" Nathan didn't want to finish the conversation, but there was no point at dragging it out either. "And hope you have a good night." He added.

"Yeah, see you then. And you have a good night as well." Her bottom lip was once again dragged in between her teeth.

"Bye" She almost whispered into the phone.

"Bye Haley." He said, holding the phone to his ear until he heard Haley hang up.

A big squeal emitted from Haley as she kicked her feet in the air before she got up. Her head was spinning with a thousand thoughts as she danced her way into her bedroom.

Nathan stood still and just stared at his phone for a minute with the biggest smile on his face, before he went into the living room and joined Daniel on the couch. He was excited but also a little scared. _Just don't screw this up_ _in case she is the one._

* * *

><p>Finally back home after her business trip, Brooke cleared out her bags and threw the used clothes into the hamper in their bathroom suite. She looked her self in the mirror and quickly adjusted some of her make up, before she went downstairs to where Lucas was waiting for her.<p>

"Hi." The only lights in the kitchen were the candlelight's burning at the dining table and on the counter. He stood in the middle of the room holding two glasses of red wine, with the biggest smirk on his face.

"Hey…" She said, the emotions in her voice were impossible to avoid. "Did you do all this for me honey?" Her heart completely melted. How did she get so lucky?

"Why, of course. I'll do anything for you pretty girl." He closed the distance between them and gave her the wine glass.

"Mmm, it's perfect." She got up on her tip toes and connected their lips in a soft, yet passionate kiss. She murmured against his lips and looked at him, still keeping their mouths close enough to feel each other breaths. He opened his eyes and met hers, which emitted so much love and happiness that he immediately crashed his lips onto hers again.

"God you're beautiful." He breathed into her mouth. This time the kiss became more heated. He worked over her bottom lip, nipping it and then moved over her jaw and towards her neck. Her soft moans fuelled him even more. He left a trail of kisses on her neck, sucking at her soft spot just under her ear lobe. He nibbled at her lobe before taking it in his mouth, sucking and licking, knowing how much that drove crazy.

Brooke her felt herself shudder by Lucas' talented tongue and mouth. Suddenly, she felt she needed more, so she quickly pulled away and grabbed the glass out of Lucas' hand and placed both his and hers at the kitchen counter, and then quickly blew out the candles both on the counter and on the dining table.

"Come on, bedroom now!" She took his hand, her eyes darkened with lust and want. Lucas didn't need to be told twice, so he gladly followed her upstairs, the dinner already forgotten.

* * *

><p>"Hey Jake, listen, I just got a call from one of our clients which need to be picked up from Houston tonight." Nathan spoke into the phone while he was at the florist holding up a bouquet of roses, as he was trying to pick out flowers for Haley.<p>

"I know you've worked a lot lately, and I really appreciate it man. But is it any chance that you could take this trip for me?" Nathan asked with hope.

Jake chuckled in the other end, knowing that his boss, who was also his friend, was supposed to go on a date with this hot girl he had been talking about all week. "I don't know dude, my schedule is pretty messy this weekend." He said trying to hold his laugh back.

"Oh come on Jake! Please, you know I wouldn't ask if there was any other day, but today…" Nathan clenched his eyes. "I seriously cannot delay this date." He was desperate now, as he put the roses down and eyed a bouquet of white lilies instead.

"Well, I might be able to move some stuff around. I mean if it's that important to you." He laughed out loud now, unable to contain him self as he pictured Nathan's face. "No, Nate, I'm just messing with you buddy. Seriously, go on your date. I'll take care of it, don't worry." Jake laughed and shook his head.

"Ass!" Nathan breathed out in relief and let out a small chuckle. "I'll make it up to you man, I promise." He grinned and went over to the cashier to pay for the bouquet of white lilies he thought looked pretty.

"You better! And this girl better be worth it, otherwise I'll kick your sorry ass." Jake joked back.

"Oh, trust me. I'm pretty sure she's more than worth it." Nathan felt his heart hammering in his chest. "But seriously, thank you Jake! See you tomorrow when you get back?" Nathan finished.

"Yeah, I'll see you later. And enjoy your hot date tonight." Jake closed his phone and chuckled at his friend. _He doesn't even know this girl and already has it bad_.

* * *

><p>AN;<em> Well, well, what do you know. Three days in a row. You better not get used to this by the way, he he. Sorry if I disappointed you by not including the date in this one, but don't worry, the next chapter will be filled with tons of beep Naleyness! Now, let your imagination take over...<em>

_Anyway, thanks for reading this. And, in the words of Mouth McFadden, to all of you that has favorited/alerted/reviewed this story so far - I thanks you!_


	4. Chapter 4

AN; _Allright folks, the date is up. However, I'm afraid I have to dissappoint you, seeing as this chapter is ALL Naley...or maybe not? heh.. I'll shut up now and leave you to it. Enjoy the read!_

Disclaimer; I don't own anything, except the right to make my own messed up story about the characters I've borrowed from CW and Mark Schwahn!

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

Haley put the last finish of her makeup on her face, took a good look in the mirror and smiled satisfied at her self. She wore a dark green dress with a dark brown waistband that had a bowtie on the side. It was a sleeveless dress in which the hem went down to right above her knees, and the outlining showed enough cleavage to get a man's mind going. She complemented the outfit with dark brown pumps that matched the waistband. As she took one more look in the mirror, she heard a soft knock on the door.

_Oh wow, he's here! All right, quick check; hair, makeup, dress, shoes – looks good. Okay, here we go_…

She could feel her pulse rise and her nerves kicking in high gear as she approached the door.  
>Haley's breath got caught in her throat as she opened the door and saw Nathan. He wore a dark blue dress shirt, the top button undone, with black dress pants. His eyes brightened up by the sight of her.<p>

"Hi Haley." He said, as he stepped closer and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Wow, you look beautiful." He said as he handed her the flowers and smiled.

"Hi." Her cheeks turned slightly red from the compliment he gave her. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." She responded and accepted the flowers.  
>She went into the kitchen and put them in a vase. "Thank you Nathan, these are really beautiful." She turned her head and smiled at him while filling the vase with water.<p>

"Just like you." A smile graced his lips when he thought he got a glimpse of Haley blushing again, right before she turned back around to place the flowers on the counter.

"So are you ready to go?" He asked after a short silence.

"Yes I am, let me just grab my handbag, and then we'll get on our way."

Nathan just smiled and watched her run into her bedroom at the end of the hall to get her handbag. _She really is gorgeous! I can't believe that she actually agreed to go out on a date with me_. He was excited and was really looking forward to spending the evening with her.

* * *

><p>The dinner went perfectly. They had a light and an easy conversation without any uncomfortable silences. It was amazing how they could find it so easy to make the conversation flow. It was like they had known each other for years. Throughout the meal, there were many stolen glances, from both sides of the table. And for both Nathan and Haley, no one else around them mattered.<p>

"Would you like to have desert?" The waiter interrupted Nathan as he was telling Haley a story about Sarah and how she has already figured out how to pretty much always get her way.

"You know, I think we'll just take the check." Nathan said and handed him his card.

"You're cutting the evening short?" Haley asked surprised and a little disappointed.

He gave her a sweet smile. "Actually, I was thinking we could take the desert at another place?"

"Hmm, and what other place did you have in mind?" She crooked her eyebrow. "I guess I could agree to that, since I actually thought for a second that you wanted to end the date, a little too early for my liking." She looked down at the table, a little embarrassed about what she had just admitted to him. But then again, she was having a great time, and there was nothing wrong with being honest.

She looked back up again and met his gaze when she felt Nathan's hand on her own.

"Oh, no! This date is way too good to be cut short, you didn't even have to go there." He winked at her. "And I was thinking we could eat cake at, um, my place?" His confidence was exchanged with a wave of nerves, rushing through his veins. He was worried she might take it the wrong way and just dismiss the rest of the evening.

Haley's pulse became rapid the moment he looked into her eyes and said _back to his place_.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Scott?" She playfully asked and winked.

"Of course I am." He winked back and let out a small sigh of relief when she didn't freak out by his offer.  
>After the waiter came back with his card, he got up and offered her his hand, which she gracefully took and followed him to his car.<p>

* * *

><p>Back at Nathan's place, they were now sitting at the couch in opposite ends facing each other. The fireplace was burning and they had continued their conversation about their lives, past relationships and their jobs among other trivial stuff.<p>

"I'll be right back." Nathan said and brought the used dishes out to the kitchen. Haley watched his tall, muscular figure go into the kitchen. She giggled low to her self and let out a content sigh. She couldn't remember ever feeling this comfortable on a date before.  
>When Nathan came back, he had refilled their wine glasses and as he gave her the glass, he sat down right next to her on the couch, Haley's heart started to pound even more than it had done the entire evening.<p>

"I've really enjoyed my self tonight." He said and placed his hand on her knee. "You're an amazing person, Haley." His intense blue eyes were boring into her own eyes. She smiled softly and tried to ignore her loud heart beat and the tingling sensations his hand on her knee were causing through her entire body.

"Me too, I've had the best time tonight, Nathan." She put her hand on top of his hand that rested on her knee. She got so lost in his eyes that it made her body tremble. They both subconciously started to move a little closer to each other, and when Nathan took the wineglass out of her hand to put it on the table; a shiver fired through her entire body when his hand graced hers.

He couldn't take it anymore; he had to feel her lips on his own. If she only knew what she was doing to him by a simple smile?  
>He held her gaze as he leaned in and carefully graced his lips over hers. He saw that her eyes snapped shut immediately by the contact. She had the softest lips he had ever kissed. He continued to maneuver her bottom lip a few more seconds before he ended with softly gracing his tongue over her lip.<br>He then pulled back for a second and met her chocolate brown eyes, smiling back at him. She then cupped his cheek and stroked her thumb over his cheekbone. She leaned back in and returned the favor by softly kissing his lips, her tongue now gracing his upper lip. Both were letting out soft moans into each others mouths.

"Mmm. You taste like chocolate cake." Nathan mumbled against her lips and looked down at their now intertwined hands. He caressed her hand with his thumb, his face still inches from hers.

Haley smiled. "Mmhm, so do you." She whispered and licked her lips.

They were both light headed by the sensual kiss they'd just shared. Neither of them had ever felt anything like this before.

Nathan lifted their hands and placed her hand over his chest. "Can you feel what you're doing to me?" He whispered low, never letting her gaze go.  
>She stared back at him for a moment, while she felt his heart thubbing wildly in his chest, before she crashed her lips onto his again. This time it was more intense. She sucked on his bottom lip, using her tongue to ask for permission to enter this time, which was happily granted. Nathan soon started to respond, and tangled his tongue with hers that was now exploring his mouth. Haley grabbed the collar of his shirt to pull him closer, wanting to feel more of him.<br>He groaned into her mouth as he felt her chest against his. The things she did to him were sending signals to rest of his body, especially a certain part of his anatomy. He stroked her soft skin of her arm and ended up tangling his fingers in her hair. Her soft locks, that fell easy over her shoulders. His mind suddenly became even more cloudy than it already was, when she positioned herself more comfortably underneath him, dragging him down with her in a lying position. Their mouths were never leaving each other. She had him cradled in between her legs now, and felt his obvious arousal against her body. She suddenly arched her back up against him as he nibbled on her soft spot under her jaw line before soothing it out with his tongue. All the unbelievably, amazing sensations that he managed to get going through her body, just by the use of his mouth.

"God, Hales…" He groaned when he felt her arching into his painfully throbbing erection.

Another intense shiver went through her by the way he said her name. There were only a few people that called her that, but none of them made it sound like that.

_God so sexy_!

"Mmm Nathan…" She pulled at his shirt to get it out of his pants. She wanted to feel his skin; no she needed to feel his skin. She had one hand under his shirt, gracing her fingers over his abs and slowly upward to his chest. The other hand was fiddling with his buttons, trying to get rid of the offended item.  
>He felt jolt of electricity as her small hand came in touch with his bare stomach. He needed to feel more of her as well, and moved his hand down to her leg that was lying over the back of his thigh now. He moved his hand up; the hem of her dress joined his hand as he did.<br>They were both panting heavily as Haley finally got the last button of Nathan's shirt open. She traced her hands over his muscular chest, going over his shoulders to push the shirt off.

_He's the fucking sexiest man I've ever had my eyes and hands on_!

She smiled against his lips as he did an involuntary arch into her body as she touched him. His hand went further up and squeezed a little when it went around on her ass. Now it was Haley's turn to arch into him.

"Ohh God…We…should…probably…stop…" She panted.

"Mmhm…" Nathan mumbled into her neck and traced his way back to her mouth. "I don't want to. But we probably should." He then said hoarsely, his hand was still stroking her ass and thigh.

"I don't want to either." Her mind was completely blissed and she didn't want to stop this.

Nathan was using all his will power, and then some, and started to raise him self off of her. He'd barley gotten to remove his hand that was resting on her thigh, when she suddenly pulled him back by grabbing his his belt buckle. Her fingers lightly graced the trail of hair leading into his boxers. Her legs wrapped tightly around him as he again lay on top of her to hold him in place, while her mouth was working on his collar bone this time. She kissed her way over his neck and jaw line before attaching their mouths in an earth shattering kiss. A kiss in which was filled with pure lust and want. Neither of them was able to stop at the amazing sensations that were flying through their bodies by each others touches.  
>Nathan dared his hand over to the bowtie of Haley's waistband, asked for silent permission with a look into her eyes; she just stared deeply into his eyes and smiled, as he started to pull gently at the band. His hands went down to the hem of her dress and pushed it up, slowly and teasingly. When he came to her hips, she lifted her self a little so he could push the dress further up. Her fingers were gracing the muscles of his back, and she felt them flex with each and every movement he made.<br>As more and more of her creamy white skin was revealed, Nathan became more and more mesmerized. He kissed his way up after the dress, slowly over her stomach, then the cleft in between her white, lace clad breasts. When he came all the way up, she lifted her arms and stared at him with a heavy breath. The dress was quickly discarded on the floor where Nathan's shirt was lying.  
>Nathan then focused back on Haley. Her petite body laid there under him in nothing but a sexy white lace underwear. She felt her self shudder and feeling slightly embarrassed by the way he was looking at her, how his eyes turned from clear blue, to dark blue to almost black as he moved his gaze over her almost naked body.<p>

"You truly are beautiful Hales…" He whispered, his index finger tracing all the way from her neck, over her chest and stomach, then ended at her thighs. His eyes never leaving hers.

Haley felt like she could explode from the way Nathan touched and looked at her. Suddenly it came to a point when she couldn't stand anymore of his intense gaze. "Please just kiss me." She breathed as she pulled his head down and captured his lips. Her fingers moving down to his belt buckle to undo it together with his pants.  
>Nathan started to kiss his way down to her breasts, halted for a moment before tracing his finger over her mounds that was almost spilling over the bra. Haley moaned out loud and shivered. She was now trying to push his pants down with her feet, while her hands were playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. When the pants reached his ankles, he kicked his shoes, socks and pants off in a quick motion.<br>He settled himself between her legs again, still focusing on her breasts. One of his fingers dipped under the material of the bra and traced her already hard nipple. A low moan escaped Haley at the touch of her sensitive area. Nathan then snaked his other hand around her torso and unclasped her bra, and almost ripped it off. His mouth was now working its way at her nipple. Sucking and biting, while he pinched the nipple of her other breast between his thumb and index finger.  
>Haley arched her back and pressed her heels into his ass to press him further into her, trying to get him even closer, which was almost impossible at this point. When she did, Nathan could feel her wet, damp material of her lacy panties against his thigh, which made his erection twitch in anticipation. He let out a loud groan against her bare flesh at her stomach as he moved his way toward the band of her panties. He stopped right in front of her center and looked back up at her. Her eyes were mirroring his own lust filled eyes. He stopped the movement of his hand when it was lying flat on her upper thigh.<p>

"Nathann…please." She pleaded. Her body was twirling underneath him. She needed to feel him. The anticipation was driving her crazy as he continued to look deeply into her eyes, like he was asking for permission to go further. Then there would be no turning back.  
>She knew this was moving way too fast, seeing as this was only their first date. But the urge and the need of her body to feel his body was overpowering any other common senses that she should've had. At this point she didn't care whether she "put out" on their first date, or if this would only be a one night stand. She shut out every single thought and just let her body take over. And her body knew exactly what she wanted and needed.<br>She took his hand that was on her thigh and directed it to her center that was already wet and ready. He moved his hand over her damp panties once, before he pulled them off and slid them down her legs.  
>Nathan was then about to remove his boxer, when he felt her hand at his chest, pushing him back at the couch in a sitting position. She quickly discarded his black boxer and straddled him on the couch. She fused their lips in a hot, hungry kiss while she was grinding herself against his throbbing erection.<p>

_Holy shit, this is fucking hott! She's not as innocent as she looks like._ Nathan thought and smirked into her mouth, as Haley took the lead.

Both moaned by the pleasure of feeling their lower bodies grind against each other.  
>Their tongues were tangling together, hands exploring every inch of each others bodies.<p>

They pulled away for a second, panting for air. "Wait…I need to get protection." Nathan breathed out.

"It's okay, I'm on the pill." Haley said as she lightly grazed her nails across his chest and looked into his eyes. She paused for a moment and looked back at Nathan. "And I haven't been with anyone in a while, so…" She trailed off.

Nathan stared back at her for a few seconds before it registered in his mind what she'd just said. "Don't worry same goes for me, minus the pill." He smirked at her and felt himself grow even harder by the tiny laugh she let out before she connected their mouths again.

"But are you sure? Cause I have condoms in my bedroom, and I can run right up and get it." He wanted to make sure before she did anything she might regret later.

Haley moved her hands further down over his stomach and towards his painfully hard member. "Mmm, I'm sure. I trust you Nathan."

He almost chocked at his tongue as he felt her hand wrap around him and starting to pump him slowly.  
>Haley felt her mind explode and her skin got extremely warm, when she felt how hard and big he was.<p>

"God. I need to feel you now…" She said almost breathlessly as she raised herself a little to position herself above him. Before he even got the chance to respond, she lowered herself onto him.

Nathan let out a deep, guttery groan as he felt her slowly taking him in, inch by inch, until he was all the way inside of her. They stayed still for a moment to adjust and devour the feeling of each other. His hands went straight to her hips as she started to move, slow at first, but faster when she needed to intensify all the amazing feelings that shot through her.  
>Nathan met her downward strokes with upward thrusts, so he filled her completely. When he took one of her nipples into his mouth and twirled his tongue around it, her body arched back in response, so she had to support herself with one of her hands behind her at his knee. Her other hand held onto his shoulder and her head fell slightly back as she rode him. It didn't take long until he started to feel the tell tale tingle at the back of his spine as he was getting closer. He could feel her feminine muscles that was encircling him, contract, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.<p>

"Oh, God…I'm so close!" Haley hitched her voice as he slid his finger between them and rubbed her center, wanting them to come together. It was seconds later that her body exploded as the wave of pleasure went through her, and her inner muscles contracting uncontrollably around Nathan. He followed suit a few seconds later. He emptied himself inside of her as she came down from her high, still clenching her muscles to milk him for everything he had.

She kissed him deeply one more time before she laid her head in the crook of his neck, neither of them making a move to pull away from each other. Nathan stroked her back gently and felt a tiny shiver from her. She slowly moved her fingers over his chest and felt him already get semi-hard again, as he was still buried deep inside of her. She did a little clench with her inner muscles and left a wet kiss at his neck.

"So this was the treat you were talking about the other day on the phone." She mumbled huskily into his neck.

"Mmm, I guess you could say that." He smirked. "But if you want to walk out of here tomorrow, you have to stop doing that." He groaned when he felt her tighten around him once more.

She tilted her head and started to leave trial kisses along the column of his neck, while she rocked her hips a little to spur him on. She let out a shriek when he all of a sudden grabbed her and got off the couch. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck.  
>Nathan was a man on a mission as he walked them upstairs and into his bedroom to continue their night.<p>

* * *

><p>Her eyes fluttered and slowly opened. It was still dark outside, and her mind felt a little hazy. What exactly happened last night? She then felt something limp lying over her, slightly moving. She turned her head and there he was. He was lying flat on his stomach, his face towards her and his arm lying across her bare back. She smiled as everything suddenly came back to her. This was so unlike her to sleep with a guy on the first date, and on top of that actually spend the entire night. But this felt surprisingly right to Haley. It didn't feel weird at all.<br>Haley studied Nathan's beautiful features. He looked so peaceful with his eyes closed. She carefully graced her thumb over his cheek, lips and the tiny dimple at his chin.  
>Nathan's hand slid up her back as she touched him and his grip around her tightened.<p>

"Mmm…I can't believe you're still here." He whispered tiredly, his eyes still closed, but the corner of his mouth slightly bending upward.

Haley rubbed her thumb back and forth over his cheek bone. "I thought you were sleeping." She moved her hand down over his back and down to his waist which was covered with the thin sheet.

"I was, but I don't mind waking up like this." He said huskily, his eyes were now wide open and staring back at her.  
>He turned over on his side so he was facing her, pulled her flush against his body, and captured her lips. Haley's leg automatically slid over his hip, and she could feel his hard length press against her stomach. She moaned instantly into his mouth at the contact of their bare chests. And for the fourth time that night, they escaped together into their own world of the powerful sensations they were unable to control, which made them become one once again.<p>

* * *

><p>Nathan reached out his arm but was met with nothing but the cool sheets next to him. He raised his head and opened his eyes slowly to adjust to the bright morning light which emitted through the small glitch of the curtains.<br>He slowly got up and pulled on a boxer that he found from his drawer. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned, then went slowly down the stairs.

There was nothing but silence in the house.

When he came into the living room and saw his clothes next to the couch on the floor. His mind instantly went back to the previous night, which made him smile to himself. His hand went through his messy hair when he first realized Haley's clothes were gone, and his smile quickly faded.

_Yeah, this was just too good to be true. I'm probably not worth more of her time_. He felt the disappointment quickly spread through his body as he went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. _How am I supposed to have sex, let alone look at another girl after this? Geez…I'm turning into a sappy girl_. He shook his head. _But she is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me_. He felt his stomach flutter at the thought of her.

He stood by the door leading out to his backyard, staring out in a distance, and sipping his coffee. His mind was filled with everything that was Haley. Her voice, her hair, her soft skin, the way she tasted and the way she made him feel by a simple look or a simple touch. Even though they'd only been on one date, there was something special about her, about them. He felt like they had a rare connection that he couldn't really explain.  
>Nathan continued thinking over the previous night and tried to understand what the hell was going on with him. He'd never ever felt like this before. And all this after only one night. He was completely lost in his own world and missed to hear the sound of bare feet tripping across the kitchen floor from the hallway.<p>

* * *

><p>When Haley woke up early, she'd sneaked out of bed without waking Nathan. She'd put on one of his t-shirts she found in his bathroom suite before she snuck downstairs and out on the porch; she needed to clear her mind. Of course not before she picked up her clothes from the floor in the living room and putting her panties back on. She had the weirdest feeling, or the weirdest mix of feelings. She couldn't really understand what it was.<br>Those feelings made her do something she had never done before; completely crossing her own rule about sleeping with a guy on the first date. It was like she'd momentarily shut off her brain and all reasonable thoughts. Her body had taken complete and utter control. But the man she'd spent the night with, was like no other man she'd ever been with, even though she hadn't known him for more than one night. She smiled to herself and stared out into a distance.  
>The t-shirt smelled like Nathan, and she couldn't help but hold it in front of her nose and breath in the scent as she stood leaned on the wooden beam outside at his front porch. It couldn't be normal to feel like this only after one night together? But yet, somehow she did. And it really scared her, but it was a good-scared kind of feeling. That was probably also why she didn't bale on him, there was something holding her back, but she couldn't really pin put it.<br>She suddenly got an involuntary shiver from the cold, frisk morning air, and decided to go back in.

When she came into the kitchen she saw Nathan standing in front of the door leading out to the backyard, in nothing but a pair of boxers. She felt the heat rise in her body at the sight and licked her lips as she made her way over to him. She snaked her arms around his waist and kissed him tenderly on the back of his shoulder.

"Morning," She whispered into his skin.

Nathan jumped a little at her touch and got chills from her warm breath against his skin. He turned around, her arms still encircling his waist.

"Morning beautiful," His face was beaming as he looked into her eyes. He smirked when he saw she was wearing his grey Stanford t-shirt he'd stolen from Lucas.

He cupped her cheek and leaned down to kiss her. "Where were you? I thought you'd left." He lingered right in front of her mouth, "But I'm glad you didn't…" Nathan barley whispered before connecting their lips.

Haley dipped the tip of her fingers right beneath the elastic band of his boxers, and traced them around to his stomach and stopped at the line of hair just below his belly button. She stroked her knuckles up and down at the area right above the lining of his boxer. The action made a small groan escape Nathan's throat, and his chest started to hammer wildly.

"Mmm," Haley smiled against his lips. She loved how firm, yet soft his skin felt. She couldn't get enough of touching him. "Thank you for an amazing night by the way."

They looked into each others eyes as Nathan rested his forehead against Haley's and stroked his hands up and down her arms.

"I think you've got me under some kind of spell, because it already seems like I can't get enough of you." Nathan confessed, his eyes showed nothing but honesty and a hint of vulnerability.

Haley closed her eyes for a moment and smiled. She opened her eyes and looked deep into Nathan's. Her face turned more serious. "I think we're breathing the same air Nathan." She replied in a low voice.

* * *

><p>AN; <em>So...did it answer to your expectations? Well, all I can say is that I actually enjoy writing this story, and it's far from over, so you can expect mooore to come. However, the period from now untill Christmas is going to be very busy for me, with practices and exams. I'll try to update whenever I can though, the actual writing may slow down a little, but I already have several chapters written, so there's no reason to cry. Just thought I should let you know.<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer; I. Do. Not. Own. Anything. Which is a shame.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

It was Monday afternoon. Nathan had had a long day at his office, which basically consisted of talking on the phone, arranging and re-arranging appointments with his clients.  
>"Okay, then we'll see you tomorrow morning at the airport. Bye." Nathan dragged his hand through his hair and let out a sigh.<p>

He pressed the intercom button on his desk, "Claire, could you ask Jake to come in here please?" He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Jake popped his head inside his office, not bothering to knock.

"Hey! Yeah, could you come in for a minute and take a seat please?"

Jake closed the door behind him and approached Nathan's desk. "Is something wrong, Nate?" Jake asked a little worried when he saw the expression in Nathan's face. He went over to the desk and took a seat opposite of Nathan.

"Um, no, not exactly wrong. But we got an important flight tomorrow morning."

"Do you mean you and me-we?" Jake asked raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, well it's Mr. Walker. And he has an important business meeting. In Rome. This is a flight I can't do on my own; it's too long of a flight. And since Vince is in Vancouver for the rest of the week, then I'm stuck with you." Nathan smiled at his friend and continued. "I'm sorry I have to drag you with me on this trip, but you can take the weekend off when we get back if you need to." Nathan reasoned.

"Nate, come on. Seriously, that's it? You had me thinking it was something serious, like an accident or something." Jake let out a small breath followed by a chuckle. "I'll come with you of course! I mean, that's a flight you don't want to be doing alone. And I wouldn't even let you go alone for that matter."

"Thanks man! I was just worried I would ruin your week or something, since we have to wait for his meeting to finish before we can return, meaning we won't be back until Friday noon or afternoon."

"Don't worry about it! You still pay me, don't you?" Jake said playfully. "Besides, it's Rome! That's an opportunity I can't turn down." He quickly added.

Nathan chuckled and shook his head at his friends witty banter. "Yeah, well, I'm actually going to take off now, but I better see your lazy ass ready for take off at 5 tomorrow morning." He threw back and got up. "Don't be late" He added over his shoulder as he left his office.

"No worries, Nate. See you!" Jake yelled back.

* * *

><p>Haley was home again after her lunch with Peyton. She'd finished early at work today, so she could finally spend some quality time with her best friend.<br>She had done most of the talking though; she just couldn't stop talking about him.  
>Peyton probably ended up with her eyes in the back of her head because of her constant rolling at her friends' expense.<p>

Haley had told Peyton about their date and the following day. That they'd spent the entire Sunday cuddling, talking and learning every little detail about each other. Well, almost everything that was. But more importantly, they were unable to keep their hands off of each other.

Of course she didn't reveal every little detail, but just enough to satisfy her blonde, curly friend, whose love life was pretty much on rock bottom at the moment, according to herself. Peyton was still waiting for the final papers to get ready, so that she could sign them and get the divorce out of her hair.

It wasn't until late Sunday night before Haley finally got back home, after Nathan had insisted on taking her home of course. Could he get any sweeter?

They'd also decided that they would have a few days to themselves, separately, since their start had been pretty intense and obviously out of normal, whatever that meant. Maybe if things settled down a little and they both got to think things over, they would be able to figure out if this was just a 'heat-of-the-moment' kind of thing, or if they in fact had something good going on here. Of course that didn't mean that they couldn't text each other or talk on the phone, if the desire to have some sort of contact became too strong.

Haley was truly on cloud nine, she was already falling hard and fast. It was completely crazy and insane. But it felt so good.  
>She tripped into her bedroom and changed into her sweats, before she plumped down on the couch with her feet up and a glass of wine in her hand.<p>

Her stomach started to flutter in an instant when her phone rang.

"Hi," she answered softly as she saw Nathan's name rolling over the screen.

"Hey you, how was your day?" Nathan's head was spinning by the sound of her voice.

"It was okay. Hung out with Peyton after work, but mostly I've been thinking about you though." Haley bit her lip. "How was your day?" She asked back.

Nathan smiled at her confession. "Mine was busy or tiring, nothing but phone calls and paperwork." He sighed just thinking about it.

"So maybe you want to cut this conversation short then…?" Haley asked, noticing the exhaustion in his voice.

"I could talk on the phone forever knowing that you would be on the receiving end." His tone became soft. Haley turned into a big smile.

"What are you doing now by the way?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"I just got home, why?"

"I've kind of been thinking about you too today," He smiled to himself. "And the reason I called you now is because I have to leave for Rome tomorrow morning…" He trailed off. "I know we said to wait a few days, but I kind of want to see you before I leave." He said in a low voice.

"You're going to Rome tomorrow? How long are you going to stay there?" She asked, as a tiny pout quickly appeared on her face.

"Uh-huh, I have to fly one of my clients to one of his meetings, and I won't be back until Friday, most likely afternoon." Haley's pout grew bigger when she realized he would be gone for 4 days.

"Oh…" Her disappointment was clearly evident in her voice. "When are you leaving in the morning?"

"I'm leaving at 5, so pretty early. But I need to see you before Friday, Haley." He almost sounded desperate. This trip was annoying the shit out of him, he didn't know if he could manage 4 days without seeing Haley. The timing of this couldn't be worse.

She felt her heart beat faster by his words and the tone in his voice.

"Well, how about you bring your uniform and bags over here, then you can kiss me goodbye when you leave in the morning?" The huskiness in her voice sent jolts down Nathan's spine. It was less than 24 hours since he'd seen her, but the excitement of the thought of seeing her again tonight made the blood in his veins shoot through his body like a fire.

"I can be at your place in an hour, is that okay? I have to take care of a few things first." He had already rushed into his bedroom to start pack his bag the second after the proposition came out of Haley's mouth.

"That sounds perfect. And I'll fix us something to eat if you haven't already eaten?" She said.

"Yeah that sounds good. So I'll see you soon."

"Mmhm, see you. Bye."

"Bye."

Haley stared at her phone for a second before she quickly got up off the couch. _Shit, do I even have anything to make dinner out of? _She went over to the fridge to see what she had, when another thought popped into her mind_. Don't think a quick shower would hurt me either_. She scrunched her nose as she looked at herself. _Yeah, definitely shower first_.

* * *

><p>"He-y... ugh Tim? What are you doing here?" Haley asked irritated when she opened the door and found Tim standing on the other side. Her annoying neighbor from downstairs.<p>

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. Maybe watch a movie or something?" He asked totally oblivious about Haley's stated expression.

She sighed out loud. "Listen, Tim. You're probably a sweet guy, but I'm busy and I'm actually waiting for company right now. So please just go home. Okay?" She tried to reason him.

"Oh…" His face fell. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow instead then?" He smiled hopefully.

"I'm sorry Tim. I'm kind of seeing another guy. But I'll see you around. Have a nice night." She said and closed the door before he could reply.

_God, I hope he'll leave me alone from now on_. She sighed.

He was always approaching her whenever he saw her getting her mail or just entering or leaving the building. Sometimes, like now, he also came knocking on her door and asked if she wanted to hang out with him. She had tried to give him subtle hints about not being interested, but he wasn't getting the point.

She was on her way back to the kitchen, when it knocked at the door again.

"Are you serious, Tim?" She shouted as she opened the door again. The anger quickly dissolved when she saw the tall, raven haired man standing in her doorway, with the sweetest smile on his face. He was wearing black jeans, a white t-shirt inside a blue zipped down hooded sweater, which really brought out his gorgeous eyes. This man was so fucking sexy!

"Hi, were you expecting someone else?" He asked with hesitation and added a small smile.

"Hi, ahh, no, I was very much expecting you." She smiled back at him. "But my retard of a neighbor was here right before you came, and he doesn't know when to take a hint." She sighed. She took one step aside and motioned for him to come in.

"Let me know if you want me to give him the definite hint…" Nathan smirked playfully at her after he dropped his bag by the door.

Haley chuckled and stepped closer to him, "I may have to take you up on that offer if he continues running my door down and bugging me every time I step outside this apartment…" She smiled up at him.

They both got lost in each other eyes, and silence soon filled the room. Haley felt her cheeks starting to heat up, and broke his gaze by looking down. She was not used to someone looking at her like that without getting self-conscious. Actually, no one had ever looked at her like that before, and it scared her a little.

She made a small cough and started to head for the kitchen. "You know, I think my fridge is completely empty, so I hope it's okay that we order something instead?"

Nathan grabbed her wrist as she passed him and turned her around to face him. "Hi." His eyes were roaming all over her, and stopped at her face, or more correctly her lips. He pulled her body closer to his own and put the other hand on the small of her back. He had been thinking about her all day, and knowing that he wouldn't be able to hold her or touch her in 4 days after today, was extremely frustrating to think about. Her beautiful, pink lips were screaming out to him as she stood there in silence with the adorable blush creeping over her cheeks.

He cupped her face, and could feel the heat radiate from her red cheek the minute he touched her, before he leaned down and kissed her gently.  
>"I've wanted to do that all day…" He said softly after he broke the kiss.<p>

Haley swallowed, and looked up at him with a dreamy smile. "Hi." That was all her brain could manage to get out at the moment.

Nathan smirked down at her and captured her lips once more. His tongue soon swiped over her upper lip asking for permission to enter, which she obliged the same second. She let out a soft moan as she felt his tongue entering and collide with her own. She snaked her arms around his neck to pull him closer.

He held her face with his right hand while the left one was now stroking her skin between the waistband of her jeans and her t-shirt, which had ridden up a little as she had thrown her arms around his neck. His hand slowly found its way up and around to her stomach, before he traced up to the underwire of her bra. A slight shiver went through Haley as he barley touched the underside of her bra covered breast, her nipple hardened instantly by the simple action.

Nathan slowly pulled away in the need of air and rested his forehead on hers.

"So I'm taking you're not hungry then?" Haley panted while she played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Not for food…" He said huskily as he started to nibble and kiss along her neck. Haley automatically tilted her head to the side to give him better access.

It was amazing how much she was able to turn him on. She was completely intoxicating, her smell, her skin, her eyes. Everything about her was perfect.  
>He continued his ministrations with his hand. His index finger dipped inside the cup and flicked over her rock hard nipple. His other hand was now on its way to unclasp her bra so that he could free her breasts.<p>

Haley felt what he was about to do, and withdrew her hands that was raking through his hair, but only so that she could remove her t-shirt. As she tossed it on the floor, her bra followed as she lowered her arms, since Nathan was able to get the clasp open while she got rid of her t-shirt.  
>He took one of her nipples into his mouth and his hand worked on her other breast.<br>She soon started to unzip his sweatshirt when she realized she was underdressed compared to him, and she desperately wanted to feel his skin on hers. He let his hand on her breast fall so that she could remove it entirely. Her hands then immediately after started to tug on the hem of his t-shirt. Without hesitation he swiped it off in a quick motion and tossed it on the floor.

Haley was mesmerized at how chiseled his body was. She ran her fingers over his chest, continued down over his abs and stopped at the waistband of his jeans. She could easily see how turned on he was, and grabbed him through the material of his pants. Nathan groaned out loud by her touch and his breath became more erratic when she kept her hand in place. She could feel herself becoming more turned on by his reaction of what she did to him.

Nathan felt he was getting close to coming right then and there, so he halted her actions by laying his hand over hers. "You've got to stop that Hales…"  
>She looked at him confused. Didn't he want to continue this? She was unable to stop now; she could feel the burning sensation between her legs increase for every touch and every kiss she got from Nathan.<p>

She shook it off and aimed her hand to the button of his jeans, but he stopped her once again. He caught her gaze and pulled her close by grabbing the waistband of her jeans. He slowly unbuttoned it and pushed it over her hips and further down her legs, never letting go of her gaze. He traced his hands back up her bare legs, went around to the inside of her thighs as he passed her knees.

Haley was unable move. She could feel him getting closer to where she wanted him the most. Each and every stroke on her skin sent the most amazing sensations through her entire body. She could feel her anticipation grow as he got close to the apex of her thighs. When he stroked his fingers gently over her damped panties, she felt her entire body go weak and grabbed a fist of his hair to keep herself from falling.

Nathan could feel how much she wanted him, her panties were already soaking wet, and if it was possible he grew even harder by the fact. He hooked his fingers around the elastic of her panties and slipped it down her legs; she helped him kick them off when he got to the ankles. He slowly kissed his way back up, and deliberately kissed his way around her center and continued all the way up to her cleavage and then to her neck. He sucked and licked around to the spot behind her earlobe, before taking it into his mouth and gently tugging it. His hands found their way down at the side of her body, lining her curves, all the way down to her hips.

He suddenly grabbed her ass and lifted her up. He walked them over and crashed her into the wall next to the door, her legs wrapped automatically around his waist by the action.

Haley held onto his broad shoulder with one hand, while the other went down in order to get rid of his pants. Nathan kept on kissing and slaughtering her neck and face, before he landed on her lips again, tongues tangling and heavy breathing.

Haley felt her frustration build as she still struggled with the buttons on his jeans, she pulled her face back a little and looked down to take care of her problem. She was breathing heavy and erratic as she fiddled with his pants. Nathan couldn't help but smirk at her when he saw the frustration in her face over the fact that she was unable to remove his pants.

"Here, let me…" He chuckled, and removed her hand.

Within the next second, he'd managed to open the button and shake his pants down, while Haley worked her hands on his boxers, using her foot to lower it completely.

She palmed his face and brought his mouth back to her own. Nathan's hand slid down to her center and started to massage her. She let out a deep moan as she felt his fingers running through her folds and teasing her around her entrance. "Please…" She pleaded into his mouth. She couldn't take it any longer, she needed to feel him inside her right now, that was all that mattered.

Nathan took a hold of himself and placed himself at her entrance.

"Oh, fuuck!" Haley cried out and grabbed a fist of his hair as he plunged into her, her eyes rolling all the way to the back of her head. This felt so good, she could feel him everywhere inside of her. She wriggled her hips a little to let him know that she wanted him to move.

Nathan groaned out loud as he entered her. God, she felt so tight and wet, and he felt just how perfect he fit inside of her. It was like they were made for each other. He felt the lower part of Haley's body move, which he took as a sign to start move himself.

He started with slow pace at first, to savior every feeling she gave him by surrounding him with her feminine muscles.

Haley soon squeezed her thighs around his hips to make him go deeper, still it wasn't enough. "Moore…" She panted out.

His movements increased in an instant when he heard her begging. He pounded into her while sucking on her neck.  
>He started to feel his undoing was about to come and wanted Haley to come with him. He reached down between them and started to rub her.<p>

"Ohh, God!" Haley screamed. All she could focus on was to hold onto his shoulders, when the sensations firing through her body almost became too much to handle. She met his upstrokes with her hips and felt her coil start to tighten as he played with her sensitive bundle of nerves.  
>After a couple of more strokes, he stilled as he came undone inside of her, which was Haley's undoing as she felt his fluids being emptied deep within her.<p>

Nathan removed his hand when he felt her coming down from her high, and supported it against the wall. The other hand was still holding Haley at her waist.  
>His entire body felt like jelly. He really didn't know how they were still standing. But he somehow regained enough strength to start walking them over to the living room. When he almost reached the couch, Haley halted him and pointed down the hall. "Not here, bedroom…" He nodded, turned and walked them into her bedroom.<p>

* * *

><p>Haley was pulled out of her sleep by a sound. It was still dark outside so she turned over and saw that it was 4:15. She groaned and snuggled her head back into the pillow. She suddenly turned her head again as the light from the bathroom brightened the corner of the dark bedroom. After a minute she was able to adjust her eyes to the light, and saw Nathan rooting around his bag, in nothing but a towel around his waist. Her mouth went dry, and she couldn't do anything but stare.<p>

Nathan had his back to her, so he was unaware of the pair of eyes studying his towel covered buttocks. When he found his white boxer, he dropped the towel to the floor to put it on. The minute the towel hit the floor, he heard a breathy moan from the bed behind him. He smirked to him self and quickly pulled up his boxers before he turned around. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you." He said in a soft voice.

"No need to apologize. I kind of like the view from here." Haley replied with a sleepy voice, and a big smirk.

Nathan chuckled and went over to her bedside. "You should go back to sleep, Hales. I don't want your day to be ruined because of me." He brushed away a couple of hair strays from her forehead and sat down next to her.

Haley took a hold of his hand and intertwined their fingers. "I think I can handle being a little tired for a day." She smiled. "If that means that I get see you for a couple of more minutes before you leave." Her smile soon dissolved into a tiny pout.

"That's not fair, you know I hate that I have to leave just as much as you do." Nathan said and tried to kiss her pout away. When he pulled back to get dressed, Haley held him back and extended the kiss for another minute.

"Hmm…I'm gonna need you to leave your sweatshirt here." She said when they pulled away from each other and Nathan went back to get dressed.

"I think it's too big for you, Hales." He joked. "And it's not even clean." Nathan said as he buttoned up his white long sleeved shirt.

"Oh, but that's kind of the point, I need your smell while you're away. It's kind of like I have a part of you with me, it will help the 'missing you part'." Haley said and smiled as he gave her a grin and turned back around.

Nathan went into the living room and came back with his hooded sweater. "You mean this one?"

"Mmhm." Haley held out her hand to grab it.

"No-uh! Not yet! What do I get in exchange for this?" He said and held back the sweater.

"You can get whatever you want." She smiled at him. "Anytime you want." Haley added huskily and raised one of her eyebrows for added effect.

Nathan tried to hold back the groan that was threatening to escape. "You, Haley James, are not playing fair." He stepped closer to the bed and gave her the sweater while he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Here you go, and just so you know, I grabbed your panties from the floor in the living room and put them in my bag." He raised his head a little so that he could look at her and give her his signature smirk.

Haley gasped and widened her eyes. "Nathan Scott! You know that's kind of creepy and stalkerish, right?" She smacked his arm. "But as long as it's you, then I guess I'm okay with it." She chuckled.

He chuckled and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I have to finish getting ready before I forget the time." He said and went back into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, styled his hair, and put on a dash of his cologne. He made sure all his toiletries and clothes were back in his bag before he zipped it. He checked the time again, and saw that it was 4:40. "I have to go now." He said disappointed and stepped over to Haley again.

"I wish you didn't have to go." Haley pouted.

"I know me too. But unfortunately, duty calls, and this guy is an important client." He tried to reason. "Besides, I will hold you on to what you offered me when I get back on Friday." He leaned down so that he was only inches away from Haley, which was lying on her back.

Haley felt her stomach fluttering by his husky voice and the wonderful smell of his cologne. "My offer still stands, and it definitely will last until Friday, but not a day longer." She smiled up at him and palmed his cheek.

Nathan leaned into her touch and felt tingles all over his face. "Good, I've already started the countdown." He brushed his knuckles along her cheek and gave her a long, tender kiss. "I'm going to miss you, Hales. I'll call you whenever I can, okay?" He said softly.

"Okay. I'm going to miss you too, Nathan. And please be careful, okay?"

"I will." He gave her another quick peck on the lips and got up. "Okay, now I really have to go. Call you later today." He said, grabbed his bag off the chair by the bathroom door and flicked the light switch to bathroom.

"Have a safe flight, Nathan. Miss you already." Haley pouted from the bed.

"Thank you. Now go back to sleep you. See you in a few days." Nathan said before he turned and left out the door.

"Bye." Haley dropped her head back on the pillow and let out a big sigh. She rolled over and snuggled into Nathan's sweater and fell asleep with the scents of him invading all of her senses.

* * *

><p>Nathan and Jake was eating lunch in their cockpit. So far they hadn't had any problems. Their stop in New York was quick, and now they were almost halfway to Italy and Rome.<p>

"Today was actually hard to wake up." Jake said with his mouth full of food.

Nathan chuckled and ate a forkful himself. "Yeah it was. Or I guess the actual leaving part was worse this time." He said, pausing for a minute to swallow the food in his mouth. "Before I met Haley, I didn't mind flying at all. It didn't matter when or where it was, I've always loved it and I still do. But today was actually the first time I didn't want to leave." He said thoughtfully and looked at his friend. "Even though that might sound strange to others, considering we've just met each other, she does something to me that's totally beyond me and I can't explain it. But damn, it feels good. She feels right." He removed his eyes from Jake and stared out in distance. "You know what I mean?"

"Am I hearing this? Is Captain Nathan Scott falling in love?" Jake teased back.

Nathan felt a small blush creep over his face. "I seriously don't know what this is. All I know is that I've never felt like this before." He stated. His mind went to Haley and a smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

"I never thought this day would come!" Jake busted out. "My buddy is in love." He winked at Nathan.

"Dude! I don't want to hear the L-word just yet. I've only just met her, so please tone it down a notch." He replied in a firm tone. "And where the hell is your girl by the way?" He mocked back.

"Okay fine. I'll shut up now." Jake said and hung his head slightly by Nathan's backfire. He then looked back at Nathan. "I'm just happy for you, you know. I know how difficult it is to find the one, so if you actually did, I'm glad." He patted Nathan on his shoulder.

"Thanks man." Nathan nodded at Jake. "And don't worry, the right girl comes along when you least expect it. Trust me."

They both fell silent and finished their lunches without talking.

* * *

><p>Nathan had just settled in his hotel room. He checked the time and saw that it was 8 pm local time, which meant that it was 3 pm at home. He was meeting Jake downstairs in the hotel restaurant for dinner and a couple of drinks at 9, so he had an hour to relax, take a shower and change out of his uniform.<p>

He decided to call Haley first to let her know that he was safe on the ground. He felt the excitement increase in an instant when he thought about her. It was crazy how much he had come to like her in the short period of time that he had known her. He didn't think it was possible to develop feelings that fast and that hard for someone, at least he didn't think he was capable of that. The biggest smile was plastered on his face as he scrolled down to Haley's name on his phone and pressed the call button.

* * *

><p>Haley had had a long day. After Nathan left, she had slept till eleven and then went to work at one. Her shift didn't start before 4 pm, but she figured she might as well take a couple of extra hours instead of lying around in her apartment thinking about Nathan.<p>

She spent her extra hours in the pit, before she was again assigned to Dr. Geller on the evening shift.

It was a slow day in the pit today, and she only had minor, non-traumatic cases. It was a few stitches here and there, and a couple of tonsillitis's, nothing major, which was boring the hell out of her mind. She was of course glad that people stayed healthy, but she also needed a little action from time to time to keep herself on the toes.

She was in the middle of an examination when she felt her phone vibrate in her side pocket. She pulled it out to check it, and immediately smiled when she saw it was Nathan.

"Excuse me for a moment, please." She said to the patient before she turned around.

"Nathan!" She answered, her smile grew even bigger.

Nathan grinned at the sound of her voice. "Hey, Hales. How is home?"

"It's okay I guess. But listen, can I call you back in 20? I'm actually at work now; I figured I could get an early start." She stated.

"Oh, yes of course. I'll just take a quick shower and I'll be waiting for your call." He replied.

"Okay, talk to you soon."

"That sounds good gorgeous. Bye." Nathan threw the phone at the bed and went into the bathroom to take a nice, warm shower while waiting for Haley to call him back.

* * *

><p>Haley finished her patient and decided to take a break until she was meeting in the trauma ward at 4. She sat down in the lounge with a coffee and a bagel and dialed Nathan's number.<p>

"There you are again!" Nathan answered after the second ring, jumping around with his jeans around his ankles.

"Yeah, I had to finish the patient and then get a coffee before I could sit down properly." She said and threw her feet up on the table in front of her.

"You're on a break now?"

"Yes, I have a good 30 minutes before I'm on duty again." She checked the time.

"Busy day, huh? I'm glad you have time to sit down and take a breather at least." Nathan buckled the belt of his jeans and balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder.

"Yeah, well today is not so bad actually. I mean, stress-wise, so the time doesn't seem to move." She sighed. "But anyway, how are you? How was your flight? Does the hotel seem fine?" She changed the subject, feeling tired of talking about her boring day at work.

"The flight went without any problems, no delay or other issues, thank God. The hotel is okay, like any other hotel I've stayed on I guess. They all look the same to me." He chuckled. "Although, if you were here, I would say the hotel is the best I've ever stayed on." He smirked into the phone.

"You're right; I guess they are all the same, except when I'm there of course; I have a talent of raising the standards of any room actually." She joked.

"Ha-ha, yeah if only." Nathan sighed.

She chuckled at his response. "So are you doing anything tonight? What's the time over there by the way?" Haley asked.

"It's 8:30; we're 5 hours ahead of you." He informed her. "And I'm meeting Jake in half an hour to have dinner and a couple of drinks. Then I'll probably crash after that, most likely thinking of you."

"That's sweet, I guess." She laughed. "You must be pretty tired after the long day you've had, huh?"

Nathan's chest warmed by hearing her sweet laugh and he couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I'm exhausted actually. I didn't get much sleep last night either, so I look forward to sleep in tomorrow." He joked.

"And that's my fault?" Haley played hurtful.

Nathan chuckled. "I would say you have some qualities in which I can't seem to keep my hands off of you." He said in a husky tone.

She laughed, and saw that she had to go get ready for her shift when she noticed the time. "You're quite irresistible yourself you know." Her voice came out lower than she intended. She let out a small sigh, got up and grabbed her bagel. "I wish I had more time Nathan, but I really have to run. Will you call me tomorrow? I'm on morning shift, so I'll be done by this time tomorrow."

"Of course I'll call you tomorrow." He paused for a second. "And Haley?"

"Yeah?"

"I know it hasn't been long since I left, but it was nice to hear your voice again." Nathan spoke softly.

His words really warmed Haley. How could she be so lucky to have found him? "It was good to hear your voice too." A small sigh escaped her again as she remembered that it was still 4 days till she got to see him again. "Have a nice evening Nathan. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Thanks Haley. We'll talk more tomorrow, you go save some lives in the mean time. I have to meet Jake now anyway." Nathan said.

"I'll try my best. Bye Nathan."

"Bye gorgeous." Nathan finished. He grabbed his wallet and keycard and went downstairs to the lobby to meet Jake.

* * *

><p>The next couple of days went by rather quick. Nathan and Jake just went around Rome, sightseeing, shopping and exploring the treasures of Italian wine and food. It really was a beautiful place, and they were glad they actually had a few days to spend here and doing nothing but enjoying European life and culture. It really was a beautiful place, so different from home, but in a good way.<p>

* * *

><p>Haley threw her bag on the floor and immediately flopped down on her couch the minute she stepped through the door of her apartment. It was Thursday afternoon, and this was one of her worst days since she could remember. She was tired and most of all angry.<p>

The day started out just fine. She woke up early and went to work. She made the pre-rounds, so she got assigned with Dr. Geller again today. However, halfway through her shift, one of the other residents had to go home sick, so _she_ was then relocated to the clinic. She really does hate being in the clinic, but today she was determined to try and be positive. But it wasn't easy keeping it up as one patient after another, with some sort of 'hypochondriac-issues' in Haley's opinion, came in really trying out her patience. One of the patients had even managed to diagnose himself before he got in, believing he had diabetes, and demanded that she would prescribe him insulin, without wanting her to do any tests. She had then sent him out as politely as she could, since he refused to be tested.

However, one hour later, he was back, carrying a urine sample and asked her to test it for him, since he still was sure that he had diabetes. His father had gotten it when he was fifty years old, even his older brother had got the same diagnose when he was a little over fifty; and this ridiculous guy knew he also had it, because he'd just turned fifty himself. Haley could feel the irritation and the anger build by his arguments. _Yeah, that would have been a good argument, if diabetes was a fucking gold watch_. She thought to herself sarcastically.  
>She'd ended up walking out of the examination room, when it turned out that the so-called urine sample he'd brought, was nothing but apple juice. Was there really any wonder why she hated the clinic!<p>

At the end of her shift she smiled to herself, happy that she survived yet another day at the clinic without killing herself. Although today, it came pretty close.  
>She decided to drop by the grocery store and get some groceries before she went home. And this was the decision she wished she could undo. Hell, she would take three more of that guy with an imaginary diabetes over this, no question. And now, taking all this under consideration, it turned out that it was this trivial, usually pretty simple task; as going to the market and get groceries was what ruined her evening.<p>

It all went fine until she rounded the corner to the dairy section. That's when she saw him. _Him_. She couldn't move, it was like her body stopped working, and she felt her stomach turn and twist in an instant. It felt like forever as she stood there in a trance. However she got dragged out of her frozen state as another woman bumped into her with her cart. In which Haley was happy about, since he actually hadn't seen her, so she quickly ran back toward the register, left her basket by the magazine shelves, and ran out to her car and drove home.

Why did he, all of a sudden, have to show up out of nowhere when she was doing so well? She hadn't seen him or even thought about him for almost a year now. And now, when she finally felt like she was heading somewhere, he had to appear and tear it all down just by showing his face.

She sighed out loud and went over to her bag to get her phone. She needed to talk to someone. And Peyton would be perfect for this.

She didn't want to trouble Nathan with any of this; it was still early in their relationship or whatever it was that they were; besides he'd also told her he had an important dinner with his client tonight, before they were flying back tomorrow. In addition, she wasn't ready to tell him about this yet. She wanted to wait until she knew exactly where she had Nathan. Maybe that was wrong and unfair of her, not to tell him right away, because he deserve to know. But it was only a year ago that this had happened, and she didn't feel strong enough to confide him with this. She needed more time. However, after today, who knew how much time she would need now. Once again, that asshole managed to turn her life upside down in an instant.

She sent Peyton a text first, because she remembered something about a gig Peyton said she was going to today. And she couldn't remember the exact time she was going, but Peyton would definitely call her back when she was available.

Another hour went by without hearing from Peyton. Haley was tired of flicking through the TV channels and picked up her phone again and typed new text.

* * *

><p>It was Thursday evening in Rome. Nathan and Jake were having dinner with Mr. Walker at the restaurant in the hotel. Mr. Walker had told them that he wanted to thank them properly for getting him to Rome, since his deal seemed to go in his direction, and he also had another proposal he wanted to discuss with his pilots.<p>

Halfway through the dinner, Nathan felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He tried to ignore it, because Mr. Walker was talking about his next trip he was planning, in which he wanted them to do. Nathan kept looking intently on Mr. Walker as he kept on talking, but he couldn't help but being curious about the text he just got. It couldn't hurt to just check and see who it was from, just in case it was something important. And if it wasn't, then he could get back to it later when he got back to his room. He slid it out of his pocket and held it under the table and tried to look at it without Mr. Walker taking notice.

_'I miss u Nathan, wish u were here now. X'_

Nathan smiled when he saw the text from Haley, his stomach fluttered by her honest words. He couldn't wait to reply, so he quickly replied and slid the phone back into his pocket.

* * *

><p>Haley was going crazy; she had to do something to keep her mind busy. She went into the kitchen to start the dishes from last night. The sink was slowly filled with water, when she heard her phone beep from the living room. She closed the tap and ran over to get it. She flipped it open and saw Nathan's text.<p>

_'Miss u too Hales, call u when I get out of this dinner. X'_

She smiled and felt her self calm down a little at Nathan's text. She really did miss him. She hadn't even heard from Peyton yet either and thought that was kind of weird, but decided to let it go for now. She dragged her hand through her hair and threw the phone back on the table, before going back to the dishes as she was waiting for Nathan to call.

* * *

><p>Peyton was running like crazy. She had just finished her audition, which she thought went pretty well, but she needed to wait a couple of days to get her call back, if she would even get a call back.<br>Now she was late for a date she was supposed to have with a guy she'd met earlier that week in her agent's office. He was kind of cute and a struggling actor, just like her, so they had at least that in common. Besides, she needed to move on after her stupid divorce, so why not start as soon as possible, even if her marriage still was fresh in the back of her mind.

She then remembered Haley's text, and cursed her self for not being able to get back to it. But she really didn't have the time, so she told her self to do it later when she got back home from the date.

* * *

><p>Nathan and Jake sat in the hotel lounge, chatting and drinking whiskey after their dinner with Mr. Walker. He'd excused him self shortly after dinner because he had a conference call in his room with his associates back home.<p>

After an hour, they finished their drinks and went back to their rooms, since they had to leave early tomorrow anyway.

Nathan had also received a text from Lucas earlier about a dinner on Friday evening that their parents wanted them to come to. Supposedly they wanted to have a family gathering at home with their sons, Brooke and their grandchildren. He wasn't exactly happy about that because of Haley, but he knew that they would bitch and moan about it until he finally gave in and said yes. So he was pretty much screwed. If only there was a way to tell Haley about this without her getting disappointed. This was so damn hard; he didn't want to wait yet another day to be able see her again. He loved his parents, but their timing couldn't suck more at this point. Although he couldn't really be mad at them either, it was not like they knew about Haley; there was actually no one that knew about him and Haley except for Jake and Haley's friend, Peyton.

He entered his room, after he'd said good night to Jake by the elevators, and grabbed him self a beer out of the mini fridge before dialing Haley's number.

It took a while before she picked up. "Hey there you are." She was slightly panting as she had to run from the bathroom to reach the phone.

"Hey! What are doing? You sound like you've been running or something." Nathan said and smiled as her breathing returned to normal.

"Actually I kind of have been running." She chuckled a little. "I was doing laundry in the bathroom when you called, and my phone was on my coffee table, so I had to run to make sure I got it." She smiled.

"That explains your panting, I'm just glad you said laundry and not your neighbor." He joked.

Haley laughed out loud at his comment. "Well, if you must know…" She started, but Nathan cut her off.

"Hey! Don't even try to finish that sentence. And besides, I don't even want to know." He laughed.

Haley closed her eyes for a second and pictured Nathan from the morning he left in nothing but his white boxers. "Nathan, you have nothing to worry about, you're the only thing that's been on my mind for the last 4 days." Her tone shifted. "It's good to hear your voice now, I kind of had a bad day today." She sighed and went back to finish her laundry as she was talking. "I just really look forward to see you tomorrow." She said in a low voice.

Nathan felt his heart constrict by her words and the tiny vulnerability in her voice. "I'm sorry I'm not with you right now gorgeous. Is it something you want to talk about?" He said in a comforting tone.

"No, I just want to try and forget it. I'd rather listen to you talk about your day instead." She felt an ache in her entire body; she would've given anything to be in Nathan's embrace right now. And she didn't want to worry him about her past right now either, now that he was thousands of miles away and definitely was unable to do anything anyway. Not that anyone really could. This was all her.

Nathan could hear her hesitant voice and got a little worried, but he didn't want to push the subject. "That's okay Hales; you can talk about it whenever you're ready. I'll be here." He said and paused for a second. He could hear her breathing in the other end. When she didn't say anything, he continued and changed the topic.

"How about I let you in on a tiny problem that I've got, and see if we can solve it in any way?" He tried a lighter tone and wished with all his heart that he could've been with her now, just to hold her in his arms.

"Thank you Nathan. You always manage to make me feel better, whether you're here with me or thousands of miles away." Haley said and her mind eased up a little. "And I would like to help you with your problem, although I don't know how much help I can offer from another continent though." She teased.

Nathan chuckled at her last statement. She was the most amazing person he had met in his entire life, he was sure of that. "I'll take any help I can get. I have to warn you though, you might not like what I have to say until I get to the last point. But before you say anything, I think that I have a solution for it. So promise that you will listen to everything before you start your rant, okay?" He smiled as he asked her.

"Should I be worried over here? You realize that you're not exactly helping the situation by starting out like that?" A small pout was starting to appear again in Haley's face.

"No Haley, you don't have to worry. And I didn't mean to scare you like that. I promise I will try to make the best of it, okay?" His tone was soft.

"Okay then, bring it on, I'm listening." Haley said a little hesitant.

Nathan let out a tiny laugh at her reaction, she really was something. "Well, I got a text from Luke about a family dinner my parents want to have tomorrow evening. And as I know my parents pretty well, I can already tell you now that they won't take no for an answer." He started.

"Wait, tomorrow? No, that means I can't see you until Saturday?" Haley whined, her mood already starting to drop all the way down below ground again.

"Well, since I won't be back until the afternoon, I have to fly directly to Tree Hill after I leave Jake in Charlotte so that I can make the dinner." He started. "However, I was thinking about how much I miss you and that I don't want to wait another day before I can see you and hold you and…" He trailed off in his mind as he spoke.

Haley swallowed thick as she heard the need in Nathan's voice. "Then just skip your family dinner, please, for me?" She pleaded.

Nathan was pulled out of his thoughts as she spoke. "I have a proposition actually. What if you came with me to Tree Hill and met my parents?" He asked, but continued before she could answer. "I know it's probably too soon. I know we've only known each other for like a week, and it's all still so new for the both of us. But Haley, I've never felt like this before about anyone, and I'm not afraid to take you home to meet my family. Besides you've already met Lucas and Brooke." He tried to reason.

"I don't know Nathan…" Haley wasn't very keen on meeting his parents yet. On the other hand, she also didn't know if she could wait another day before she got to see him.

"I promise you Haley, my parents are the best. They don't bite, unless you give them a reason to." He said playfully to lighten the mood.

Haley chuckled. "It's early though, don't you think? And even if they are nice, it's still scary to meet the parents." She hesitated.

"I know. And if I could decide I would've delayed the meeting as well, but I think there's a slight possibility that I would go completely crazy if I don't get to see you tomorrow." He sounded a little desperate now. "So here's what you're going to do. You'll pack your bag, and then you'll go to the airport and wait for me there, then I'll just pick you up as I leave Jake on the ground. Then we can extend it to a weekend and get away for a few days. What do you think? Sound good?"

Nathan heard Haley sigh a couple of times before she spoke. "Well, I don't have to work this weekend, so I don't have to worry about that." She paused, sighed again. "Okay, what the heck! I'll come, but just because I really, really miss you and want to see you tomorrow." She promised.

Nathan let out his breath the second she agreed to come. "You have no idea how happy you made me Hales. And I promise you, we'll have a good time. I'll even show you around my home town if you want." He grinned.

"Aww, I would love to see the town where you grew up. That sounds fun." She smiled by the thought of Nathan as a young boy. She wondered how he looked, he couldn't have been nothing but cute. "So you'll let me know what time you'll land here then, so that I can be ready." She quickly added as she heard Nathan let out a small yawn.

"Yes I'll call you when I'm halfway home, okay?" He took a swig of his beer and stretched his legs.

"That sounds good. But listen, you should go to bed and get some sleep. You sound tired. And you have a long day ahead of you, and trust me; you want your strength for tomorrow night." She said in a husky tone.

"It sounds like I better get some rest now then." Nathan replied in the same key tone as Haley. "Although I don't know how much sleep I'll be able to get, now that you gave me a mental image I'm unable to delete." He smirked into the phone.

"I promise I'll give you a better live show tomorrow than what you're thinking about right now." She chuckled low at the thought of a frustrated Nathan alone in a hotel room.

"Stop it! God, you're killing me, Hales. I think it'll be better if we just finish this conversation now, before I explode right here in this moment." He groaned.

Haley laughed now. "Oh, I'm sorry; I only wanted to make you feel better. I know that thought made me feel better at least…" She trailed off her voice and let out a heavy breath to tease him some more.

Nathan swallowed hard and choked down a groan. "Okay, I'm off to bed. But again, I do look forward to seeing you tomorrow. And you won't regret coming to Tree Hill with me, I promise."

"Look forward to see you too tomorrow Nathan. And I'm sure we'll have a great time with your family. Now get some sleep, and have a safe flight home tomorrow." Haley said.

"Thank you. I'm always careful, don't worry." He smiled at her concerned voice. "See you very soon gorgeous. Have a good night. Bye" Nathan finished.

"Sweet dreams, Nathan. Bye." She replied before she hung up.

Haley was glad she'd decided to come with Nathan to Tree Hill, but also a little nervous. She realized there was a lot she had to do before her weekend date with Nathan tomorrow. She had to go shopping, and make her self look presentable to his parents. It was a good thing she had all day tomorrow to prepare and organize whatever she was bringing.

But first of all, she needed to calm down a little, there was so many thoughts circling around in her mind right now. So she poured her self a glass of wine and plumped down in the couch and started to flick through the TV channels. She smiled happily to her self; this day seemed to turn around again. All she needed was a certain dark haired, blue eyed, overly sexy man to brighten her mood. Earlier problems were slowly being pushed into the back of her mind and forgotten, at least for now.

* * *

><p>AN; <em>This was the longest one so far..thanks for sticking to it, since no major events really happened, but at least Tim had a small guest appearance, ha ha.. But I guess the big question would be; who did Haley see at the grocery store? And what happened? That is for me to know and for you to find out, not until later though..<em>

_Thanks for reading, and feel free to review!_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer; What if I actually did own something? That would've been awesome! Like maybe just JL..wouldn't ask for anything else. But no, Don't own a shit! It's all yours, Mark.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

"Yes mom, he's coming…yes…well, I don't know really." Lucas was talking to his mother on the phone. She always nagged about whether they were coming or not, whenever they had a family thing planned. And he grew tired of it; it was the same rhyme over and over again.

At least he was glad he wasn't Nathan right now. "Yes mom, for the millionth time! Would you just relax, he will probably show up a little later because he's actually on his way home from Europe, and he have to make a stop in Charlotte to drop off Jake and pick someone up." He chuckled softly by his mother's rant. She could never just let it go.

"I don't know who it is; all I know is that it is a girl. Yes. Yes, probably. I don't know. Mom! Could you please stop? I don't know any more than you do, okay? He's bringing a girl, and you'll get to meet her tonight, so please just let it go for now."

Lucas had had enough at this point. Besides he had stuff to finish at work, before they were heading down to his parents later on. "I have to go now; I can't leave work the way my desk looks like right now. But I'll see you tonight, mom. And please, don't stress your self out about the dinner, okay?" He rolled his eyes and nodded as his mother continued to remind him of everything he had to remember before driving down.

"Okay, mom, don't worry. I won't forget. I promise. See you tonight. Bye." He finished quickly before she could start another rant.

Lucas raked his hand through his hair and sighed. He loved his mother to death, but she could be a handful sometimes. Especially in situations like this. It got even worse when she found out that Nathan was bringing a girl. In which had also surprised Lucas. This had to be a special girl for him to bring along to meet the family; he usually never did that with his dates. And it really bugged Lucas that he was being extremely secretive about her, it only increased his curiosity about her. When Nathan had told him over the phone, he'd tried to milk him for some sort of information about her, but he just shut off and changed the subject entirely.

Lucas pondered about this for another minute, then glanced over at his desk and realized all the work he had to finish before he could leave. _I guess I'll just have to wait until tonight when we meet her_. He thought and went back to the paperwork he'd worked on when his mother had called.

* * *

><p>Nathan and Jake were almost back in the states. First they had to drop off Mr. Walker in New York, and then they were heading home to Charlotte.<p>

Nathan had called Haley to let her know what time she should be at the airport, and where she should wait for him. He was excited about seeing her again; it felt like forever since he last saw her. Even though it was only four days. And now it was only matter of hours before she was all his for the weekend.

Jake could definitely catch the mood Nathan was in. It was pretty obvious that his friend was falling hard or maybe already fallen for this girl he had yet to meet. He chuckled softly when the sky line of NYC started to appear in front of them. "Look forward to seeing her again, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?" Nathan asked.

"Ever since that last call, and for each minute we're getting closer to home, you've been practically bouncing around, unable to sit still and checking your phone constantly. And not to mention that big ass grin you've got going on there." Jake stated in a light tone, almost laughing at his friend. "So yeah, I would call you pretty obvious buddy."

"I actually can't deny it, even if I wanted to." Nathan smiled. "But do you think it's weird that I feel this way after only a few dates?" He asked Jake, a little worried that all this was just a 'happy bubble' that would soon burst.

"No, I don't think it's weird. I mean, this has never happened to me, but this could be the one, you never know. I think you should just act on the way you feel, don't try to hide it or hold anything back, it's not often you experience something like that." Jake said seriously. "Besides, I've never seen you like this before, so this is clearly a big thing for you. No matter how much I joke and mess around, I still want you to be happy, and it seems to me like she could be the one that makes my buddy happy. So go for it man." He clapped Nathan on his shoulder and turned around in his seat to prepare the landing process.

"Thanks man." A short silence claimed him. "I have no idea why I feel so strong this soon, but it's impossible to ignore. And it's a hell of a feeling I'll tell you. You should try it sometime." He winked at Jake and turned his attention back to the aircraft again.

* * *

><p>Haley was sitting in the lounge where Nathan had told her to go wait. She was the only one there and the quietness in the room made her feel al little uneasy. She didn't like being all alone in a room surrounded by silence. She was anxiously playing with her hands and chewing her bottom lip as she sat there, just waiting. She was of course nervous about the trip, there was no way to deny that, but the excitement she felt about seeing Nathan again kind of pushed it in the back. She'd already met Lucas, Brooke and the kids, so she knew they were sort of okay with her, at least she hoped so. It was 'meeting his parents part' that made her slightly apprehensive. What if they didn't like her? Or what if she made a bad first impression? And even worse, what if she got one of her emotional breakdowns again, like she often did when she was around other families? She tried to push that thought away. She had to try and forget about this and get over herself, first of all for her own sake, and more importantly for Nathan's sake. His beautiful face appeared in her mind, and she couldn't help but smile.<p>

She turned her head and looked out at the runway, quietly telling herself to take deep breaths and try to focus on Nathan, if her depressing thoughts started to take control. She could do this.

* * *

><p>Nathan turned the engine off and put the headset down, before he unbuckled himself and got up. Both, Jake and Nathan grabbed their hats and coats from the closet behind them and left the cabin.<p>

He had asked the crew to go through and check that everything was okay and ready again for takeoff in a little while. He'd also asked them to check the tank and re-fill it.

"I guess I see you on Monday then?" Jake said as they walked towards the building that held their office and the lounge where Haley was waiting.

"Um, yeah I guess so. If I know my parents correctly, I won't be able to get back until Sunday." He chuckled. "You have a nice weekend. And thanks for coming with me on this trip, Jake!" Nathan said.

"Don't worry about it! I wouldn't have missed it.. I mean we did have a lot of fun exploring Rome, right?" Jake smiled.

Nathan laughed. "Yeah, we had a great time, for sure!" He held out his fist for Jake. "Take it easy man; don't do anything stupid while I'm away, okay?"

Jake bumped Nathan's fist and turned and walked the opposite direction towards his car. "I always behave Nate." He winked over his shoulder. "Have a nice weekend with your family. Send them my best, okay!" He shouted back.

"I will." Nathan yelled back before going through the door leading into his office building.

Nathan's face lit up the moment he saw Haley standing by the couches in the middle of the lounge. She literally took his breath away; she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid his eyes on. She wore plain dark jeans, brown boots till just above her ankles, and a white top inside a dark brown leather jacket. She was absolutely stunning, although Nathan thought she looked good no matter what she was wearing.

Haley turned her head when she heard the doors open and felt her heart started to pound uncontrollably in her chest. There he finally was. She picked up her bags and walked over to where Nathan was standing, her smile growing with every step she took.

"Hi…" She stopped right in front of him. He looked amazing, even after the long travel he'd had, he still looked perfect in his sexy pilot uniform. She grazed her teeth over her bottom lip and stared into his blue orbs.

"Hi baby." Nathan said after finally catching his breath. He leaned down and placed the softest kiss on her lips.

God, it felt so good to kiss him again, to feel his lips, smell his scent, and just being able to hold him. She felt her legs almost failing to hold her standing as he kissed her so softly. And he'd called her 'baby'. Her chest warmed and her stomach did flip flops by hearing him call her that. She smiled against his lips and felt him take a hold of her at her hips; it was almost as if he knew she needed support to keep her self standing up.

"I've missed you, Hales." Nathan said still resting his hands at her hips. "I can't wait to have you all by my self this weekend, well, almost all by my self." He added and chuckled softly, his right hand went up to cup her cheek.

"I've missed you too, Nathan." Haley whispered and put her hands flat on his chest.. She leaned into his hand and looked into his eyes. "I also look forward to spend this weekend with you; I don't care what we do as long as I'm with you." She turned her head and kissed his palm. "And I look forward to meet your family, although I'm also kind of scared." She said and looked up at him with half a smile.

Nathan chuckled at her half scared expression on her face, but he could see that she was excited as well, and so was he. "I know that they're going to love you, so you don't need to worry. Besides, if they're mean to you, just let me know and I'll take care of it." He said and smiled playfully.

"Thank you, that's very heroic of you, Nathan. I feel honored." Haley chuckled.

Nathan lifted the bags off of her shoulder and hung them over his own. "Come on, let's get going." He took her hand in his and laced them together as they went outside to board the plane.

* * *

><p>Haley could feel the tiny anxiety starting to take over as they sat in the cab from the airport to Nathan's parent's house. First of all it was the fact that she had to meet them, which is always scary the first time, no matter how nice they are. But the thing that bothered her the most at this moment was the questions that usually appeared about her own family. She didn't feel comfortable talking about her family to anyone, she hadn't even told Nathan exactly what happened yet, but she was planning on doing it soon when she could find the strength to do so. It's not like it was a big secret or anything, but every time Haley had to bring back the memories by talking about it, or even think about it, she felt like she couldn't breathe. This was something that would always be a part of her, but that didn't mean she couldn't be able to accept it, or at least find a way to live with it. Peyton was the only one that knew the entire history, and she was the one person that had actually saved her and helped her through one of her hardest times.<p>

Now she didn't really know how she was going to handle it. Should she just tell Nathan now before they arrived at their house? Or should she just try to divert the conversation? She felt her pulse increase and her body responded in an uneasy way, she almost felt nauseas. Why did this have to be so hard? Every time she talked about it or even thought about it she felt a huge sting in her chest, a big empty feeling and a never ending sadness.

"Hales?" She was pulled back to reality as she felt Nathan's hand on her knee. She turned her head and looked at him, a few tears were slowly forming in her eyes. "Are you okay?" Nathan asked with worry as he thought he saw tears forming in her eyes.

Haley quickly blinked the tears away, and gave him half a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about that I'm going to get to see where you grew up and meet your family. It really means a lot to me that you bring me here, Nathan." She stroked her thumb over his cheekbone and leaned in and gave him a soft peck on the lips.

Nathan took her hand and kissed it tenderly before lacing their fingers. "It just feels right to have you here with me, and I want them to know you like I do. Or maybe not exactly like I do…" He smirked at her.

Haley chuckled and squeezed his hand softly. She welcomed the change of the subject which got her mind to relax a little bit.

"Now, are you ready?" He asked when the cab started to slow down. "We're here." Haley turned her head and looked out the window of the car.

She took a deep breath. "Yes, let's go inside." She replied and smiled at him.

* * *

><p>Nathan closed the door behind them. "Mom, dad, we're here." He yelled out, and they immediately heard commotion coming from the kitchen. "Embrace your self." Nathan said playfully to Haley and let out a chuckle.<p>

She lightly swatted his arm. "Nathan, be nice now." She chuckled.

"Oh my God! It's so good to see you again, Nathan!" A small, dark haired woman exclaimed and walked over and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you could make it." She smiled and looked up at him.

"It's good to see you too, mom." Nathan chuckled soft by the excitement his mother showed by seeing him again.

Haley stood silent next to Nathan and watched the exchange of love between the mother and her son. She couldn't help but think that she already liked this woman. She could tell that this was a warm and kind woman just by the way she looked at and spoke to Nathan. It was easy to see that she held a lot of love for him.

Nathan turned his attention toward Haley. "Mom, I want you to meet Haley." He said with the biggest smile his mother had ever seen on her sons face.

She held out her hand and smiled at Haley. "Hi, Haley. It's nice to meet you. I'm Karen, Nathan's mom by the way, but I'm sure you already figured that out." She said with the softest voice and a warm smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Scott. It's very nice to meet you too." Haley shook her hand and smiled back.

"It's not every day Nathan bring a mystery girl back to meet his folks. You are a rare breed, Haley." She joked. "Please come in and meet the rest of the family." Karen said. "And make yourself feel like home." She added.

Haley smiled softly at Nathan's mother. She was just the sweetest woman she'd ever met, she could already feel herself being comfortable around her, and that had never happened before with other in laws she'd met or any other humans really. With the exception of Nathan of course.

"You know, mom. I think we're just going to take our bags upstairs first and get us settled into our room before we come back down and meet the rest. Okay?" Nathan shot in.

"Of course you are. You must be tired after your long day, dear. You probably would like to freshen up a bit before we have dinner?" Karen said. "I'll just go back into the kitchen and finish up. And please take your time kids." She added with another sweet smile and disappeared to where she came from.

Nathan turned to Haley and smiled down at her. "You want to see my room?" He smirked at her and took a hold of her hand. Haley only chuckled in response as Nathan led the way upstairs.

* * *

><p>Upstairs in Nathan's room, they left their bags by the dresser next to the door. Haley glanced quickly around and smiled as she caught Nathan's eyes. "So this is where all the dreams started out, huh?" She said and sat down at the edge of the bed. She scanned the room once more in awe.<p>

"So you were really into basketball when you were younger?" She stopped her gaze at the jersey's hanging on the wall and the trophies sitting in the bookshelf next to the bathroom door.

"Actually, I still am." He smirked. "But I don't play anymore." He turned around and looked at the Raven jersey hanging next to the signed Michael Jordan jersey on the wall.

"Wow, you didn't tell me you used to play. I bet you were like a rockstar on the court." She smiled. "Is that your old jersey?" Haley asked and looked over at the black Raven jersey with 23 on the chest.

"I'm telling you, that jersey definitely had the right effect on the girls." Nathan said playfully with a hint of honesty. He walked over to Haley and smirked down at her.

Haley bit her lip and looked up at Nathan. "You know, I was kind of disappointed that the flight to Tree Hill was too short for us to join the mile high club." She said huskily while taking a hold of his tie and dragging him down so their faces were mere inches away from each other.

Nathan let out a groan and his eyes changed to a darker color immediately. He wasted no time and connected their lips in a needy, passionate kiss while pushing them both down on the bed. He grazed his hand underneath the hem of her top and stroked her soft skin of her belly.

"I've missed this." He mumbled into her lips as he felt her soft, warm skin under his hand. After a few seconds he pulled back and looked at Haley, her face all flushed and her eyes still closed. She was so beautiful; his heart almost ached just by looking at her.

He gently stroked her cheek and her eyes fluttered open by his touch. "If it was up to me, we would've stayed in here the entire weekend, with the door locked, but we have a dinner party waiting for us downstairs, so we better get ready." Nathan said in a low voice. He didn't really want to go anywhere right now, but he knew there were a few people downstairs that would come looking for them if they stayed there too long. "Besides I really need to take a shower and change into something more comfortable." He added.

He got up and started to undress. Haley remained on the bed, watching Nathan get rid of his clothes with hungry eyes. When he got down to his boxers, she subconsciously licked her lips. His chiseled back and extremely hot, firm butt made Haley's mind go crazy.

"You know we have to continue this later, Nathan. I, umm, haven't seen you in days, and your sweater wasn't really enough to satisfy me." Haley said, while slowly getting up from the bed and walking over towards Nathan, her voice dripping with lust. It didn't make it any better when she saw Nathan's arousal through the boxers as he turned around to face her.

She let out a soft moan as she pressed her body into his and snaked her arms around him and stroked his muscular back.

Nathan's breath got heavier when he felt her press into his erection, which became even harder by her presence. "You know we are, baby." He choked out.

Haley pressed a soft, lingering kiss on his chest. "God, you have no idea what you're doing to me, Hales." Nathan said and took a small step back. "But I seriously have to take a quick shower, a cold one that is." He met her eyes and then looked down at his painfully hard member. She laughed at the sudden change of his face expression.

"Wait for me here, I'll be just one minute, and then we'll go down together, okay?" He gave her a loving look before going into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>The dinner and evening was a nice change from what Haley was usually used to. Her weekends and days in general, consisted of take away and 'eat while you run' sort of thing, because she'd been focusing on her job and career. And up until now she had been perfectly content with being single and thinking about none other than herself. However, now that she'd met Nathan, whom turned out to be the most wonderful man there ever was, she'd realized that there was more to life than just work, if she only would let people all the way in.<p>

After Nathan's shower they'd went down stairs, and Haley had met Nathan and Lucas' father, Dan. He was tall and dark like Nathan, with kind blue eyes. She could see now, where Nathan had gotten his looks and kindness from. The kindness he'd got from both of his parents, they were warm and welcoming, and already she was treated like she was a part of their family.

Lucas and Brooke had also gotten a surprise when they realized it was her that showed up with Nathan, however they were delighted and happy to see her again. And so was Sarah. She hadn't left Haley's side ever since she'd entered the living room.

The conversation were light and easy while they were waiting for Karen to get the dinner ready. Haley was sitting at the right side of the couch, with Sarah snuggling into her on her lap.

Nathan sat close to her, stealing frequent glances to the side. It really warmed him seeing Haley being welcomed by his family like this. He also loved how Sarah had taken a liking of her, and he loved watching how trustworthy she was towards Haley, as the little girl was cuddling tight into Haley's chest next to him.

He diverted his gaze away from the two girls and met Brooke's gaze from across the coffee table. She gave him a warm smile and then looked over at Haley and Sarah, her smile never leaving her face.

"You've gotten yourself a new fan over here, Haley." Brooke chuckled softly.

Haley looked down at the dark-haired girl snuggling into her neck and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I have." She laughed and looked back at Brooke. The others joined in on the laugh.

"Can you really blame her for being a fangirl?" Lucas shot in. "She did actually save her life. Hell, even I'm a fan of her."

"Ha-ha, yeah get in line. You have an entire family as your groupies now, Haley." Brooke joked.

Haley felt her cheeks getting warm. She wasn't very good at taking complements like this, and felt kind of embarrassed when she felt everybody looking at her. She felt Nathan taking her hand in his and squeeze it.

"I guess I'm flattered." She chuckled and looked over at Nathan that smiled back at her.

"You should be. This clan don't just let anybody in that easy, you know." Dan winked at her from the chair in the corner, next to the fireplace. He saw that she got slightly uncomfortable where she was sitting, and decided to change the subject. "Anyway." He started and got up. "I'm gonna go check on your mother and see how she's doing with dinner." He directed to Lucas and smiled as he passed him on his way to the kitchen. "You kids stay put." He added before he disappeared.

Around the dinner table she was observing his family and how they interacted with each other. How much love and care they held towards each other, it was so easy, and it reminded her of her own family. How they used to be, how much joy and happiness she remembered from occasions like these. And not to forget how Nathan's family just opened their arms and welcomed her without hesitation. It really melted her heart, and it made her like Nathan even more than she already did. She was pretty sure that she was falling for Nathan, if she hadn't already. In which was a scary thought to Haley. This was all happening so fast, and sometimes when she was alone, she felt like she was betraying her parents somehow by feeling happy. It was like her own happiness was also her reason for being sad at the same time. But didn't she deserve to be happy and enjoy life even though the two people she cared about and loved the most wasn't here to share that with her? She felt her chest turn heavy while a bittersweet sensation slowly crawled into her body. Haley quietly excused herself from the table when she felt nausea starting to ascend from her stomach.

Why did this always have to happen? She was having a good time and enjoyed being with these wonderful people. But it was like something inside of her wouldn't allow her to be happy.

She quickly walked into the bathroom down the hall and splashed some cold water in her face, as she tried to calm herself down. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw that her eyes showed confusion, together with anger, hurt, and a sad happiness. She sighed heavily as the first tear slowly ran down her cheek. God, why did this have to be so difficult? She just wanted to let all of this go and make everything easy.

She jumped a little by a soft knock on the door. "Haley? Are you okay?" Nathan asked carefully through the door.

Haley sniffled and tried to choke back a sob that was about to escape. She didn't want to worry Nathan, but at the same time she needed to tell him about her fears and worries, which was obviously affecting the present.

She quickly wiped her tears away and cleared her throat. She took another glance in the mirror before she turned around and slowly opened the door to let him in.

It took a couple of minutes before Nathan could hear anything, but he stayed still and didn't say anything else. He'd seen the sudden change in Haley's expression when she'd jumped up and excused herself from the table. He immediately got a bad feeling and grew concerned about her. He was glad that no one else around the table had seemed to catch her change of mood. Nathan had then quietly gone after Haley, and now she was opening the door for him to come in.

His worry didn't disappear when he saw her tear streaked cheeks and glistening eyes. She was obviously crying and that made him even more concerned. Nathan closed the door quietly behind him and turned to face Haley.

"Hales, what's wrong?" His expression was filled with worry for the beautiful girl standing in front of him, clearly upset about something.

Haley could see how much care and concern he had for her in that moment. She felt her eyes fill up again with a fresh pool of tears, which spilled out and ran down her cheeks.

Nathan's chest tightened in pain by the sight of Haley. He didn't really know what to do in situations like these. He'd always been uncomfortable with people crying, and especially girls. He carefully reached out and stroked her upper arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, barley above a whisper. He could see that she was in pain, and didn't know whether she was ready to talk to him about it or not. But he didn't want to pressure her either, so he took one step closer to her and embraced her tight into his arms and stroked her back.

She felt him take a hold of her into his arms, and as he held her tight to his chest, she could no longer hold back her sobs.

She needed to talk to him, so bad, but right now she couldn't do anything but cry into his chest while his strong arms held onto her.

Nathan continued to comfort her and waited for her crying to subside. That was all he really knew how to do at this moment, and he knew she would talk when she felt she was ready.

* * *

><p>Nathan's heart ached for Haley as she was standing in his arms, crying. He had fallen completely for her in the short amount of time that he had known her. Everything about her was perfect. He really wanted to tell her how he felt, but he was afraid that it was too soon. He didn't want to scare her away. And it was in this very moment, as he held her tiny, sobbing body in his arms, he knew that he would do anything for her, anything at all that would help her feel safe and happy. Whatever it was that made her feel like this, he wanted to take away and make it disappear completely. But somehow he had a feeling that this wasn't just something that would go away that easy.<p>

Haley felt her sobs slowly starting to subside, and carefully took one step out of Nathan's strong, safe embrace, looked up and met his eyes. His eyes and face showed her how much he cared and worried, words were unnecessary.

Nathan looked down at the sad, broken girl looking up at him. He reached out and wiped his thumb over her cheekbone on both sides of her face and smiled softly at her.

"I'm sorry for running out like that, Nathan." She closed her eyes for a second and swallowed before she continued. "It's stupid. I'm being stupid. But somehow this is really hard for me. And to see you here with your family, all of you together…" She had to pause before she could say more as she felt the tears coming back. She looked down at her feet, unable to meet Nathan's intense gaze.

"Haley…" Nathan's worried voice was low and soft. He was starting to get scared now, and millions of thoughts rushed through his mind as she broke his gaze and looked down to the floor.

"No please, Nathan. Just let me try and tell you this without you interrupting me." She said, taking a hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze for comforts sake. She understood that he was probably confused and thinking the worst right now, so she just had to get it out there, and try not to break down as she did. "I feel kind of ridiculous, I mean, it's not…you don't have to worry, really." She had to explain to him that this wasn't really anything to be worried about. This was just her own problem and the fact that she had a hard time talking about it, nothing else. "This has nothing to do with you…okay."

Nathan nodded as he felt her squeeze his hand.

She took a deep breath and held it in for a second before she let it out. "You know I told you that both my parents were dead. What I didn't tell you was that when I was 14, they were killed by a drunken driver in a car accident." Her tears were slowly running down her cheeks again. "And ever since then I've closed myself off from other people, I've had trouble facing other families, and not being able to let myself feel happiness." She closed her eyes. "I've been too afraid that I would let them down somehow, by letting myself be happy and most of all find a new family to love…to replace them in a way." Haley whispered and felt Nathan squeeze her hand reassuringly. "And today, I've just been reminded, once again, that I will never have this together with them, ever again. I'm still hurt about the fact that they were taken away from me too soon." She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "That doesn't mean that I don't like being here with your family, Nathan. Because I do. I've loved spending this evening with all of you, and I'm so happy that you brought me down here to meet them. I already adore them." She smiled weakly.

"That's also when I knew I wanted to become a doctor, so that I could help other people and maybe also save someone's life. So ever since I graduated and finished med school, I've been dedicating my life to work. Basically shutting everybody out, and the ones I tried to let in, I scared away the moment it became somewhat serious, or I found a reason to end it." She moved her eyes back up at Nathan. She could barely see him through her tear-filled eyes.

Nathan didn't say anything, he just listened to Haley talk. He subconsciously stroked his thumb over her hand as she continued to tell him about her parents and her past. He could feel his own eyes starting to tear up, and his heart ached even more than it already did for her when he first came into the bathroom and saw her crying. He knew that this must've been so hard for her. Not just to tell him but also have to be here with his parents, his brother and sister in law and their children. To know that this is something she has never experienced with her own parents, nor that she ever will.

"But there's something about you, Nathan, I want to let go of this weight that's hanging over me and just let myself feel. So bad. And I do feel, it's scary how much I already do, really." She wiped away the tears again that continued to run down her cheek with her hand. Now she could see that Nathan was also crying, and her heart swelled by the sight.

"I guess you probably think that I'm damaged or something and I understand if you don't want to continue this, I mean us…" She added, scared of what he might be thinking or saying now that she had revealed her dark side, that was still very much with her.

Nathan quickly wiped his face with his hand and stroked her cheek with his other hand. "Hales, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say…" He started.

He had to tell her something, something that could calm her or comfort her. But he had seriously no idea which words or actions that could make this better. "But I can start with what I do know. And that is whatever you feel, I feel it too. And there's no way in hell that you could scare me away from you. If anything, you made me feel even closer to you, knowing that you trust me enough to tell me this. That you just opened up and let me in. That has got to mean something, right?" He said with comfort and sadness in his voice.

"I'm truthfully sorry that you had to experience something that awful. It's something that I can never under any circumstance understand. I'm amazed by the way you have turned out to be. This kind, wonderful person, that truly cares about other people and do whatever you can to make them happy." Nathan's silent tears continued to roll down his cheeks, but he didn't notice them. All he could see was this girl in front of him, his beautiful girl, so broken and sad that it made his own heart break.

"And let me tell you something Haley. You are not damaged. You miss your parents, which is something totally different than being damaged." He gently put his finger under her chin to make her look at his face. "You make me happy, Haley. And I will help you in any way that I can, to let you allow yourself to be happy and to feel. I know that your parents would have wanted you to be happy as well. That's all they want for their children." He tried to read her face as he held her gaze.

Haley was unable to say anything as she heard Nathan respond. She tried to form words in her mind, but everything was a blur. She could feel the tightness in her chest slowly starting to dissolve, as this wonderful man stood before her and told her that he wouldn't go anywhere, even after she'd told him about her insecurities.

She slowly closed the distance between them and gave him a soft kiss. If she was unable to form words then she could show him how much she appreciated him being there, and saying those wonderful words. She still held her face close to his, almost so their tears mixed as they both silently cried.

Nathan's heart was pounding hard in his chest when he felt Haley kiss him with her soft lips. That's what she always did to him. Since she didn't move away from him he looked into her eyes when she opened them up again. He then closed the few millimeters between them and returned the kiss. This time the kiss lasted a little longer, but it was still very soft and tender.

They could both feel how much this kiss held. It was care, comfort, promises and love.

"Thank you, Nathan." Haley whispered into his mouth.

He responded by hugging her tightly. "Come on, let's go to bed and sleep off some of this." He then said and took her hand in his.

"What about the rest of the dinner?" Haley asked surprised by his statement.

"Don't worry. We both had a long day and they'll understand. We have tomorrow to make them satisfied. Tonight I need to take care of my girlfriend, she needs me more." He gently wiped away her remaining tears, and opened the door and led them upstairs to his bedroom.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard him say 'girlfriend'. She smiled sweetly at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. She was falling really hard for this man, how could she not? She only hoped she wouldn't destroy this for herself. She needed to let him be there for her, and she needed to open up to him and let him in on all of her worries. She knew that now. What she felt, was too powerful not to take a leap for. At least she had figured that out, and that was a big step in the right direction for her.

As they ascended the stairs her heart felt a little lighter after being able to open up to Nathan. Still there was a small voice in the back of her mind nagging her about what had happened the other day, when he was in Rome. But she couldn't open that door now, not after she'd just had an emotional breakdown in his parents house, about her own mental issues. That was also something she needed to talk to him about, but this was not the time or the place to do so. Instead she forced the thought temporarily out of her mind, and decided that a good night sleep was what she needed the most right now.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Haley woke up early. She had slept like a rock, which wasn't a big surprise after being completely emotionally drained last night, and the fact that she was safe and sound in Nathan's arms. All she could hear was the deep, even breath from Nathan, lying next to her with an arm protectively around her waist.<p>

There was absolute silence in the house. It was after all Saturday, and too early for anyone to be awake, even the kids. She snuggled herself further into Nathan's soft, yet hard, muscular body and moved her hand lightly over his bare chest. It was physically impossible not to touch him. Every time she was around him, she had these uncontrollable feelings that she didn't know existed. He was simply too gorgeous for his own good. She smiled at herself and snuggled her head into his neck.

She felt Nathan stir a little by her movements and her soft touch on his chest, and could feel he was about to wake up. She trailed her hand back over his chest and to his face. She lined his strong, marked jaw with her fingers, his slender lips, and his cheekbone. He was nothing but perfection. When she raised her gaze she was met by his beautiful blue eyes. They were staring intently back at her.

Nathan was pulled out of his sleep by her soft hand moving along his chest and then at his face. God, she had the softest touches anyone could ever have. Every little touch she did with her hand sent amazing sensations throughout his entire body. And he felt himself react in an instant, even though he was sleeping.

"Good morning." He said with a hoarse voice and smiled down at her. "Did you sleep okay?" He then asked.

"Good morning, boyfriend." Haley replied and leaned up and kissed him on his jaw line. She snuggled back into his neck and giggled like a lovesick teenager when he squeezed her tighter around her waist. The way he made her feel was beyond amazing, and all he had to do was talk. His deep, sexy voice was such a turn on and today was no exception. "I slept like a baby, actually." She breathed into his neck. She inhaled his scent which made her stomach twitch and her heart rate increase.

"I'm glad, baby. I just wish there was something I could do for you, you know." He said and kissed her head.

Haley rose slightly and leaned on her elbow as she faced him. "Nathan. You already do. This. Just by having you here by my side is more than enough. I couldn't ask for more. And you make me so happy, you have no idea." She said in a serious tone and looked deeply into his eyes.

"It's just that you've become so important to me, so I worry, you know. All I care about is that you are okay. I really wish that I could take away some of your pain." He stroked her arm that lay across his chest.

Her heart melted by his sweet words and she fell more in love with this man for each second that passed. She couldn't believe how lucky she had been that it was this man that had showed up at the hospital that day, it was like a dream.

She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him. "You are an amazing man, Nathan." She said right before her lips connected with his. The kiss was soon deepened and turned more passionate.

Nathan's hand snaked down her back and to her hip where he took a hold of her to pull her on top of his own body. He heard her whimpering as he held her into him and traced her bottom lip with his tongue. She opened her mouth the second his tongue asked for permission, and when his tongue found hers she moaned into his mouth and changed her position a little, so that she was more straddling him. Her hand that was holding his face moved around and into his hair at the back of his neck.

She let out a small yelp when Nathan suddenly flipped her over so that he was now pushing her into the mattress. His hands roaming all over her body, tracing the curves on the side of her body all the way down to her hips and thighs. He turned back up and stopped as he reached the edge of her panties. He moved his hand along the waistband from her hips toward her stomach, and stilled his movement right below her bellybutton. He felt her wiggle underneath him and arch her body into his.

Haley's hands traced down his broad, firm back and snaked under the waistband of his boxer to his ass. He had the most perfect ass ever; it was firm and just the right size, and it felt incredible to touch. Nathan let out a deep groan as she gave an extra squeeze on his cheeks.

He worked his way down her neck, nipped on her pulse point before soothing it out with his tongue. He could feel her hands on his ass that was softly massaging him, together with her soft moans escaping her mouth, fuelled him on even more by each and every sound.

He traced his hand along the edge of her panties and rested his hand at the apex of her thigh. When he didn't make any further moves, he felt her wiggle underneath him again, in the need of more.

He smiled against her neck and moved both of his hands towards the hem of her panties. He hooked his fingers inside and slowly pulled them down, his mouth finding his way back to her mouth. Things heated up, and as their tongues meddled, Haley quickly pushed down Nathan's boxers and grabbed his throbbing erection in her hand. He involuntary arched into her hand the second she touched him, and moaned out loud.

"Sshh…" She giggled and stopped her ministrations. "What about your parents? Maybe we should stop this…?" She panted heavily. She didn't want to stop this at all, but she also didn't want his parents to hear what they were doing either. That would be too embarrassing.

"No…their bedroom is at the other end of the hall, besides we can be quiet." She saw the slightly panicked expression in Nathan's face and giggled once again.

"Well…" She started but her voice got stuck in the back of her throat as Nathan found his way to her center after removing her panties. He moved his fingers up and down her folds a couple of times before he circled her entrance and then moving back up to her sensitive nerves.

Haley whimpered as she felt his fingers only tease her. "Nathan…" She whined. Every recent thoughts about being caught already forgotten.

He smirked at her as he knew exactly what she wanted. "Come on baby, tell me what you want." He whispered sexily into her ear and then took her earlobe in his mouth.

Haley tightened her grip on him as he bit down on her ear and increased the pressure of his fingers. "What do you want Haley? I want to hear you say it…" Nathan repeated huskily as he heard Haley's breathing deepened and increasing in pace.

"Please Nathan…I need…You…Now." She was barely able to get out. It had been too long since the last time she'd been with him. Previously, she'd had no problem holding out for four days. But somehow, Nathan had managed to 'wake her up' when it came to the sex part of a relationship. She simply couldn't get enough of him, and the way he made her feel every single time they were together. It was addictive.

Nathan didn't need more assurance; he took a hold of himself and placed himself at her entrance, but stopped for a few seconds to look at her. He couldn't believe that even though she'd just woken up, she still looked so beautiful and so god damn sexy. He got pulled out of his thoughts when he heard her whimpering. His eyes darkened in an instant and he wasted no more time as he immediately plunged into her in one deep stroke.

They both moaned simultaneously as he entered her. This was heaven for Nathan. She fitted perfectly around him. Her walls were so tight, and as he moved in and out of her it created the most amazing sensations he had ever felt.

Haley couldn't believe how amazing this was, how perfect it felt to have him inside of her again. He was so big, and hit all the right places at each and every thrust he made. She wrapped her legs around his waist to push him even deeper inside of her, if that was possible at all.

She felt her orgasm quickly appear and bit down her bottom lip to choke down her loud moans. After a couple of more thrusts, Haley couldn't hold it in any longer. She whispered his name repeatedly as she came.

Nathan felt Haley's walls clench uncontrollably around him, her head arched back into the pillow and her entire body shivered. She looked so beautiful in that moment, looking at her like that made him come right at that second. He stilled his movement whit his undoing, and kissed her deeply before he crashed his head in the crook of her neck.

They both needed a couple of minutes to come down from their high. As Nathan gathered his breathing he nuzzled into her neck before moving to her face and kissed the corner of her mouth.

Haley opened her eyes, and met Nathan's gaze. She smiled and caressed his lower back before she moved in to kiss him directly on his lips.

Nathan rolled over and brought Haley into his side with an arm wrapped tightly around her waist. With their legs intertwined, Haley caressed his calf with her foot as she snuggled into his chest and left a soft kiss above his heart. "I love you." She whispered into his skin.

Nathan's weary condition suddenly became alerted by her statement. Did she really say those three words? Those three words he'd been wanting to tell her since he got back from Rome? Those few days away he'd realized that what he was feeling for her, actually was love. If he really thought about it, he might've actually loved her ever since he first saw her in the waiting area at the hospital. It was crazy, he knew that, and he'd always laughed when people talked about 'love at first sight'. But now, here he was, suddenly being one of those people. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and felt his heart almost outside his chest.

"I love you too, Hales." He whispered back, smiling into her hair. The next second he heard her breath even out and he knew she was asleep. It didn't take long until sleep also claimed him again, possibly as the happiest man alive.

* * *

><p>The rest of the weekend went perfectly. They'd spend the entire following day with Nathan's family. None of them asked her about the previous night or any other uncomfortable questions, they were amazing.<p>

Before lunch, Nathan and Haley took a walk with Lucas and Brooke around Tree Hill. They showed her every spot of the town that had meant something to them when they grew up. They ended up at the river court, where Nathan and Lucas had spent most of their available hours between school and sleep.

The girls were chatting at the bleachers while the boys played a little one on one, for old time's sake.

Haley couldn't help but think how incredibly sexy her boyfriend looked out there. The way his muscles flexed when he jumped and threw the ball into the hoop. She had to restrain herself from running out there and jump his bones.

Instead she tried to listen to Brooke talking about a breakfast incident that happened earlier that morning, when she and Nathan had still been asleep after their early morning activities. The entire thing ended with Lucas' lap being covered in orange juice, which made everyone break out into laughter, except for Lucas of course. It was actually kind of funny, and Haley could picture Lucas' face, even more broody than it already was.

They both turned their heads to their respective boys on the court while laughing. "I'm telling you, it's no fun when they're ganging up on you like that." Lucas said playing hurtful, which made Nathan laugh at his brother. He quickly bounced the ball once and elegantly placed it through the hoop making the swishing sound.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Lucas turned to face Nathan, which was still laughing. "I wasn't paying attention, so that one doesn't count." He whined.

"Oh, come on man! It's not my fault that you are so easy to distract." Nathan teased and sent a wink over to the girls at the bleachers.

"Here we go again, with the ganging up. It's the story of my life." Lucas pretended to be hurt, but couldn't hold back his own smile when he heard the girls giggling, and Nathan grinning at him.

Nathan turned his head and saw Haley laughing at Lucas next to Brooke. It warmed his heart to see her like this, especially after last night when she had looked so broken and hurt.

Haley moved her gaze over to Nathan when she felt his eyes on her. All it took was a look from that man to make every bone in her body go weak. She met his gaze and gave him a grin and scrunched her nose. He returned the grin and mouthed 'I love you' before he turned back to the game, leaving Haley in a puddle at the bleachers. Her mind became hazy and she completely zoned out from everyone around her with a huge dreamy smile on her face.

* * *

><p>AN; <em>First of all I want to say THANK YOU to all of you that's reading this! And to all the great responses I get from you guys! WOW! I kind of wish that I had you guys as my teachers in high school, so that maybe I could've gotten more than decent grade on my essays lol I'm pretty sure my teacher hated me back then, however, the hate was mutual, so no worries haha<em>  
><em>Anyway, back to the story. The harder parts are slowly starting to get out in the open, the parts that I don't know if I'm any good at writing, so please bare with me..I hope this turned out ok. Well, so Haley still struggles with the death of her parents - but not only that, in which you will see later, I won't give anything away though..I'm mean like that, heh..<em>  
><em>I don't know if you were disappointed that I didn't have more of the other characters in this chapter, but this is a <span>Naley<span> story, therefore I choose to focus more on them than the others. But the others will still remain in the story and play smaller roles, some more frequent than others of course. If you have any ideas, thoughts, I'd be happy to hear them out. _

_Also, I chose to update today, since I have an exam on Friday, that I probably should study for, so I won't be able to update until after Friday, hopefully I can get another up during the weekend. So hope this will get you through the week._  
><em>I really appreciate your kind words! Thank you!<em>

_And wish all my readers from the U.S Happy Turkeyday! Hope you all a wonderful holiday!_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer; I do not own anything. Just my own imagination.

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

Sunday afternoon, Lucas and Brooke had finally gotten back home after the busy family weekend. They were still sitting at the dining table sipping wine and talking after finish eating and their children had excused themselves from the table to play in their rooms.

"It was a good weekend." Brooke said over her glass, leaning back in her chair and smiling at Lucas.

"Yeah, it was. I think the kids had fun, and I know mom and dad had fun by all of us being there. They love having us over." He smiled back.

"Mmhm, your parents are great, Luke. I'm so amazed by the way they give so much of them selves, all the small things they do for you guys. You really are their world." She placed her glass down, and started to get up to clear out the table.

"Hey, please sit down. I'll do it, later. Let's just sit and enjoy the quietness and each others company. I haven't had you to myself a lot this weekend, and I'm in need of a little 'Brooke-time.'" He grabbed her wrist and pushed her down into the chair again.

Brooke sighed inwardly when she actually thought of how little time she had spent with Lucas this weekend. "You're right. This is nice, just the two of us." She smiled and rubbed his hand which was still around her wrist. "I think Sarah had fun with Haley." She then said and smiled by the thought of her little girl getting all ecstatic when she first saw Haley at Karen and Dan's.

"I'm pretty sure she found her self a new favorite in Haley. It was almost impossible to separate her from Haley's leg." He chuckled. "Although I cannot say that I blame her. Haley is an amazing person." He added and met Brooke's eyes.

"I know! Not only is she an excellent doctor, but she really has a big, warm soul. You could easily see by the way she interacted with the kids and not to mention Nathan. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy before." Brooke said low.

"My thought exactly! It was weird to see my brother like that, but I'm glad, he seems to be happy." He took another sip of his wine. "That reminds me. I need to have a brotherly talk with Nate. There was never a good time for that this weekend."

"Lucas! Be nice to your brother, he's in love. Don't make it worse for him, okay?" Brooke said in a firm tone and squeezed his hand.

Lucas laughed and squeezed her hand back. "No I'll be nice, don't worry. I love my little brother, and it makes me happy that he finally found someone to love, that loves him back." He was barley able to finish saying when they heard a loud thump from upstairs and then a screaming cry.

They met each others gaze and smiled. "That's it for our little alone time." Brooke winked at him. "At least until the kids goes to bed later." She added and kissed Lucas on his cheek as she slowly got up and went for the stairs.

Lucas shook his head and sighed. "We should keep them away from each other; they always start to fight whenever they play together." He yelled after Brooke in a jokingly tone as he got up and started to clear out the table.

* * *

><p>Back in Tree Hill, Dan and Karen had finally gotten the time to talk and reminisce about the weekend, now that everybody had left. They felt like they were blessed with the kindest and sweetest boys anyone could ever get. And on top of that they had been able to find themselves women that were nothing but amazing.<p>

Karen was unable to hide the smile that had formed the moment Nathan walked in with Haley, which turned out to be one of the sweetest, kindest girls she had ever met. Nathan deserved a girl like her, and she really hoped they would make it together. Although she'd gotten the feeling that something was bothering her. She understood that something wasn't right after the first night when they both disappeared from the table and never returned. But she didn't want to meddle so she just let it go. In stead she had enjoyed the company of her family.

She thought about her two sons, whom she loved more than life itself. Then there was Brooke, her beautiful daughter in law, the mother of her adorable grandchildren. Lucas was lucky to have found her so early in his life, and their love was still so strong. She smiled at her husband, which returned her smile across the kitchen counter.

"What are you thinking about?" Dan asked.

"Just about how lucky we are to have such an amazing family. And about how proud I am of our boys." She said lovingly.

"They did become two great men. Although I did had my doubts when they were growing up." Dan joked. "But I am proud of them too, everyday." He quickly added before Karen got the chance to say anything.

"I just hope Nathan is able to help Haley with whatever it is that she's going through. I already feel like she's a part of this family, you know…" Karen said softly.

"I know you do. And that's one of the things I love about you." Dan said walking around the counter. "The way you care about people is beyond amazing, Karen. You have such a big heart." He stopped in front of her and leaned down and kissed her forehead before he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Karen smiled into Dan's chest and pulled away just so that she could look at him.

"And I'm absolutely positive that Nathan will do whatever it takes to make Haley happy. I could see the determination in the boy, and how much he cares about her." He said softly.

"I love you, you know that?" Karen said and rose up and kissed her husband softly on the lips.

They broke the kiss and looked at each other. "I think I'm starting to get that now." Dan flashing the famous Scott smirk that he had passed on to his sons as well. "I love you too, sweetheart." He added and placed another kiss on her lips.

* * *

><p>Haley stepped into her apartment and leaned her back into the door; she didn't know what to think. Her mind was on overload with all kinds of thoughts; she had an uneasy feeling about everything, well, not everything, it was mostly about herself. Why couldn't she just let all her issues go or at least let it be a part of who she was and be able to live with it, and still be happy with the way her life was now? She hated herself for being this way.<p>

This weekend had been amazing. Brooke and Lucas are so nice, and funny at the same time. It was never boring around them. And not to mention their beautiful children, they are beyond adorable; they really show you how awesome kids can be. She smiled to herself when she thought about how Sarah would ask her almost anything and never let go of her side. Daniel had been a little reserved at first, but mellowed up eventually when she had joined the boys outside when they were playing basketball in the driveway. She smiled to herself when she remembered the little boy break out in laughter every time she'd missed her shots, which was basically every shot she tried. She'd always sucked in basketball, and barley passed PE because of that stupid sport. But she was glad her inability to throw a ball through a hoop could make others in a good mood, at least now it was okay. If someone would've laughed at her when she had to make that shot in high school, she most probably would've broken down into tears. It was still a little embarrassing when she stood in front of Nathan, but he'd quickly assured her that he thought it was cute, and he couldn't care less.

And his parents were so including and welcoming, just like her parents had been when they were alive. That's what made this even worse. The fact that Nathan's parents were so heartwarming and kind, only gave her the ache in her chest that she had for her parents to become even bigger, whom she missed more than she ever thought was possible. She would forever feel that her time with them had been deprived too soon since they were abruptly taken away from her. And that thought would always put a sting in her heart.

However, she couldn't let this inner battle destroy what she had with Nathan; she'd already gotten further with Nathan than she'd done with any other guy. She had never been able to say 'I love you' to any of her other ex boyfriends. She had always ended it before it had even gotten to that point. On the other hand, she had never experienced such strong feelings for someone before either; it was something she was unable to control, it was quite overwhelming. In the past she had been able to hold back and keep the guys at a distance, never really let them in. But Nathan had an effect on her that scared her a little. He made her want to open up, even though he didn't pressure her about anything. It was both scary and exciting at the same time. She couldn't control it, and even though how hard she tried to, he was still able to get to her, understand her and read her.

Haley sighed out loud and started to clear out of her bag. Her mind still all over the place as she sorted out the dirty laundry and discovered that one of Nathan's t-shirts had ended up in her bag. She smiled to herself as she put it into the washing machine together with her own laundry.

She desperately wanted Nathan to be the one to completely break down her big wall. And somehow she knew that he was going to make it, as long as she let him in, all the way. But she needed him in order to be able to get through this, so she could fight against her own internal struggle. And she needed him to know that, and he also needed to know that she needs time. Because this isn't something that will go away just like that. It was when she was alone, in her own company, that she usually started to close off and add to the walls she had hidden behind for so many years. But she had a feeling that as long as he was here with her, she would be able to destroy that protective shield once and for all, at least she hoped so.

She went into the kitchen and found her phone lying in her purse at the counter. She quickly typed a message and sent it to Nathan.

* * *

><p>Nathan had just parked his car in the driveway at his house. His thoughts were constantly at Haley, his incredible, wonderful and beautiful girlfriend. Their weekend turned out to be nothing but perfect, even though he could see that Haley struggled a little by being around his family. But he knew it wasn't because she didn't like them, it was the exact opposite.<p>

He stepped out of his car with a smile on his face, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he'd gotten a text from Haley.

'_I need u Nathan. Already miss u! Can u come over? X'_

He typed the reply as he entered his house. He went upstairs to his bedroom and quickly changed out of his clothes and hung up his uniform. He grabbed another set of boxers, socks and t-shirts from his drawer and tossed it into his bag before he went downstairs again and out to his car.

Haley had just pulled out some chicken breasts from the freezer as her phone made a beep.

'_Be right over, just gonna change my clothes. Love u! X'_

She quickly replied and then started the dinner. She was already feeling like some of that weight was disappearing, just because she knew that Nathan was on his way. That made her even surer about Nathan, and the fact that she needed him in her life. There was no mistake about the way she felt.

Nathan was almost at Haley's and read her text as he stopped on the parking lot outside her apartment complex.

'_Love you too! Starting dinner now :) x'_

* * *

><p>Haley heard a soft knock on the door as she stood above the stove, frying the chickens in the pan. She was about to walk over and open, but stopped when she saw Nathan open the door and step inside.<p>

"Hey baby." He said, smiling over at her. "Something smells good!"

"Oh, good it's you." She flipped the chicken breasts and turned back to face him, but turned right into his rock hard chest. "Oh my, you sure move fast." She said and looked up at him.

"Well you said you needed me, so here I am." He smirked and leaned down and kissed her.

Haley reached up and laced her fingers behind his neck and responded to his kiss.

"Hi…" She said softly after they separated.

"I missed you too gorgeous." Nathan whispered, resting his head against her forehead and looked into her eyes. He then moved slightly away from her and looked over her shoulder to see what she was making. "Can I help you with anything?" He asked.

"Um, well maybe you can make the salad?" She put out a board and a cutting knife on the counter next to the stove where she was standing.

Nathan grinned at her and went over to the fridge and pulled out the vegetables he needed. "So I understand you give me the one thing that's impossible mess up, huh?"

Haley laughed softly. "I actually didn't think about it that way, but now that you mention it…" She looked at him with a playful smile.

Nathan narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer to her with a tiny pout. "I can't believe that you think I have no cooking skills!"

Haley leaned in the remaining distance and gave him a quick peck on the lips that dissolved his pout rather quick. She couldn't help but giggle as she turned back to the frying pan. "I wouldn't know about that. But taken that you are a guy, I have to go with the odds."

"I'm hurt, actually hurt." He faked and held his hand over his chest. Haley responded with a laugh and bumped him with her hip.

They both continued making the food with the light bantering and a few stolen kisses in between. Haley couldn't help but think, that right now, this was all she needed. She was happy and content, with the presence of the guy she loved, standing right next to her. It was perfect.

* * *

><p>After they'd eaten Haley started the dishes and Nathan went out to get some ice cream for their movie. She hadn't told him yet about her reason for wanting him to come to her place tonight. But as he was out to get ice cream she had time to think, and she decided that she was going to try and explain to him about her so-called worries when he came back. Just to make him understand what she was thinking and what was really going on in her mind.<p>

Haley was deep in her thoughts and didn't hear him come back in as she was standing over the sink doing the dishes.

Nathan snuck over to Haley and carefully snaked his arms around her waist and rested them on her stomach and nuzzled his nose into the side of her neck.

Haley jumped as she felt someone taking a hold of her around her waist, but relaxed when she smelled Nathan's scent and felt him nuzzle into her neck. "You scared me." She said low and tilted her head to look at him.

"Sorry baby, I just couldn't resist." He whispered into her skin and kissed her softly when she tilted her head a little. "Besides, you are simply too sexy for me to just stand by and watch." He moved his lips around to her cheek and eventually found her lips when she turned her head and met him halfway.

The kiss ended too soon for Haley's liking, but she knew that if they continued she wouldn't be able to talk to him now. So she turned around and quickly finished the last of the dishes and joined Nathan on the couch in the living room.

Nathan somehow knew that Haley wanted to tell him something. He kind of had a feeling something was up ever since she'd sent him that text wanting him to come over. Of course he didn't mention anything about his suspicions, because he didn't want to push her in any way; he knew that she would talk when she felt she was ready. So he did what he knew best, and that was just being there with her.

He opened his arm when she came in from the kitchen, inviting her to sit close to him. She smiled and sat down and scooted into his side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for coming here tonight Nathan." Haley whispered.

"You don't have to thank me Haley. I want to be here just as much as you want me to be here." He said sincerely, kissing the top of her head.

"It's just that I'm scared of being alone." She started slowly. "Not like, scared of the dark, but I'm kind of scared of myself. I mean, now that I've found you, I'm worried that I will screw it all up and run you away." She sat up a little and turned so that she could meet Nathan's gaze.

Nathan looked at her, and listened to her words. He didn't want to interrupt her so he waited a few seconds to say anything after she'd finished. "What makes you think that I will run away? You haven't given me any reason to do so." He said with a soft voice.

Haley broke his gaze and looked down at her hands resting in her lap. "Maybe not yet, but when you get to know the real me and my twisted mind, I'm sure you will escape." She could barley get out. She felt embarrassed just by saying this out loud, but at the same time she wanted him to know what she was thinking. She also wanted and needed him to understand her, and for him to know that she wanted this, that she wanted him.

Nathan directed her face with his finger under her chin, so she could look at him. "Hey, baby. Listen to me. I don't think there's anything you can say or do to make me go away. Okay? And if this is what worries you, then you really have nothing to worry about." His voice was calm and soft. He gave her a small smile, and tried to reach her eyes.

She looked into his eyes, and saw the honesty and the love they held. She felt her eyes starting to prick with tears, but blinked them quickly away.

"Haley, I really love you, all of you, the good and the bad. Nothing and no one can change that. You are the most incredible person I've ever met. And so far I've seen nothing bad." Nathan smiled at her. "All you need is a little help to find a way to live a happy and a good life, accepting the loss of your parents. I'm not saying forget them, but learn to remember the good things and not let the grieve control your life." He stroked his thumb over her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes, which were now filled with tears.

Haley swallowed hard and tried to hold back the tears that were forming as she heard Nathan speak. It was no wonder why she was scared of losing him. He was nothing but perfect and wonderful. She was amazed by how understanding he was, and how he was able to get exactly how she felt. She was truly the luckiest girl to have him by her side.

She took a hold of his hand that was still resting on her cheek and kissed his palm, before she looked at him again. "How did I get so lucky to have found you, Nathan? I don't even know if I deserve someone like you." She responded. She closed her eyes for a mere second and then opened them again and met his blue eyes. "But now that I actually have you in my life, I know that I fall in love with you even more for each second that passes. You make everything easier somehow. It's hard to put in words, but just feel this." She said and brought his hand to her chest above her heart. "You make me feel things I never thought was possible, and I'm so in love with you that my heart actually aches, even though you're here with me now." She leaned in and gave him a kiss full of love and sincerity. "I need you." She whispered into his mouth.

Nathan melted into her kiss and her words which he played over in his head. He just knew in his heart that this was the woman he was meant to be with. Her soft lips sent jolts of electricity through his entire body, and nothing felt better than that. If this was all he got for the rest of his life, he would die as a truly happy man. He could kiss her forever.

"I love you too Hales." Nathan responded as he pulled back a little. "And you can try as much as you want, but you won't get rid of me. I'm not going anywhere." He smiled and kissed her again before he pulled her back into his side. He just wanted to hold her, and feel her body close to his.

* * *

><p>The week went by, and Haley started to feel better about her self. She and Nathan were together almost every available minute they had when neither of them were working. Nathan had a pretty quiet week, there hadn't been any flights since he had gotten back from Rome, so he was mainly doing paperwork at his office or from home. He still had a lot of work to do, since Nathan was known to be extremely thorough when it came to his company, especially when it came to the safety of his jet's. So he had checkups and tests done often, and made sure everything worked perfectly. He always made sure he could offer only the best for his clients.<p>

It was afternoon and Nathan and Jake were at the hangar doing a test run on one of the jets, when Jake saw Haley and Peyton come out of the office building. Nathan was on the top of the wing, trying to adjust one of the flaps, which had become a little loose.

Jake spoke up to Nathan, but in a low voice, when he heard the girly laughs come closer. "Hey, dude. Your girl is here, and she brought a friend." He turned his head to take a look at the curly blonde again, now that she was closer. Damn she was hot!

"Hey guys!" Haley said when they stepped into the hangar.

"Hey, Haley!" Jake replied when he noticed that Nathan still hadn't heard anything. "How are you?" He quickly added and smiled at the dark haired girl standing next to him now.

"I'm fine, thanks. How are you, Jake?" She smiled at him, and couldn't help but notice the look he gave Peyton.

"Um, I'm fine. Thanks." He snapped his eyes back on Haley as she spoke.

Haley let out a tiny giggle and turned to Peyton, which was looking down and kicking her foot in the ground, looking kind of uncomfortable.

"Nate! You have visitors man! Get your ass down here." Jake yelled and tapped a wrench lightly at the underside of the wing, which made a high clinging sound.

Nathan jumped so he almost fell off the wing and was about to yell angry at Jake for scaring him like that, and for tapping the wrench at the wing. But as he turned and saw Haley standing next to Jake, all that was forgotten, and he smoothly descended the ladder.

"Hey, Hales. What are you doing here?" Nathan said and walked over to Haley and gave her a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

Haley couldn't help but stare at her sexy man. His white t-shirt was all dirty in oil stains, and it clung to every crease of his body, so you could easily see his toned chest and abs. His faded jeans that fitted perfectly also made his ass look delicious as he climbed down the ladder from the top of the wing.

She smiled up at him and got a little airy from the intoxicating smell of his cologne. "Hi, baby. Peyton and I were just out for a walk, and decided to drop by you guys and say hi." She brushed her hand over his arm and felt the jolts of electricity emitting through her body when she felt his muscles. "And also, we're making dinner at my place tonight and were going to ask if you wanted to come?" She laced her hand in his.

"That sounds nice. I'll be there. What time?" He replied and stroked his thumb over her knuckles.

"We were thinking around 8. Will you be done by then?" She asked.

Nathan looked at his watch and nodded. "Yeah, we'll be done here in a few hours. So there's plenty of time." He looked over at Peyton and smiled. "How are you by the way, Peyton?"

"I'm good, Nathan. How are you?" She said and smiled at him.

"I'm very good." Nathan replied and pulled Haley into his side and kissed her temple. "Oh, I'm sorry, have you met Jake by the way?" He shot in quick.

"Um, actually no I haven't." Peyton said and got a slight blush at her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. Peyton, this is Jake. And Jake this is Peyton, Haley's friend." Nathan said changing his look from Peyton to Jake and gave his friend half a smirk.

"It's nice to meet you." Jake said holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Jake." Peyton looked at him shyly and took his hand.

Nathan and Haley exchanged a knowing look and smiled at each other. They were both thinking the same. "You should also come over tonight, Jake." Haley said, fighting to hold back her giggle. "You can just join Nathan when you guys are ready." She leaned her head into Nathan's chest.

"That's nice of you Haley." Jake said and smiled at her. "I would love to come." He then added and stole a quick glance at Peyton.

"Okay, good. Then we'll see you boys tonight." Haley exclaimed. She suddenly felt giddy about this match making thing she and Nathan were about to do with their friends. And the fact that they were totally oblivious about it, made it even more fun.

She turned to face Nathan again and reached her palms up to his shoulders. "So I'll see you later then." She said in a low voice. "And please be careful on that wing, you almost fell down earlier, and I don't want any of that. Okay?" She looked sternly into his eyes and moved her hands down his chest and rested them there.

Nathan rubbed her arms and smirked at her. "I promise I won't fall down, I've done this too many times to even count. Besides, if I do fall down, I know I'll be fine because I'm kind of dating this girl that happens to be a doctor. So I know that she will take care of me." He moved his head closer to her ear and whispered. "Which is totally sexy." And then he placed a kiss right under her earlobe.

Haley shuddered by his breath against her skin, and the way he talked with his sexy, dark voice made her feel like a puddle of goo. If they were alone, she would've ripped off his t-shirt and asked him to take her right there on top of the wing. But she managed to keep her cool.

Haley snaked her arms up and around his neck and raised up on her tip toes and whispered into his ear. "I can give you a physical later tonight when we're alone." She lingered a few seconds so she was sure he could feel her heavy breath on his ear, before she nibbled lightly on his earlobe and kissed him quickly to soothe it over.

Nathan felt him self react immediately, but got dragged out of it pretty fast when they heard a cough behind them.

They both turned and looked into Peyton's disgusted expression. "Haley, as much as I'm happy for you, I'm not really interested to watch you have a live sex show here under the wing of Nathan's jet." Haley felt herself get redder by the second and felt extremely self conscious. She usually wasn't a huge fan of PDA, but there was something about Nathan that made her forget about everyone and everything around her, it became all about him.

"I'm sorry Peyton. We're just going to leave now and prepare for dinner." She turned slightly into Nathan's chest of embarrassment, when she heard Jake and Nathan chuckle.

"Okay, good. So come on then!" Peyton said and held out her hand to show that she wanted to leave. She also started to laugh at this point. It was funny to watch Haley squirm like that, it never failed actually.

Haley gave Nathan a nudge in his chest. "This isn't funny. Stop laughing, this is your fault." Her face was still flushed, and having everyone laughing at her didn't make it go away. She made a pout and looked back up at Nathan. "You're going to regret this." She said and then turned around to leave. "Bye Jake, see you tonight!" She yelled over her shoulder and linked her arm through Peyton's as they started to walk away.

She looked one last time over her shoulder at Nathan. She laughed out loud when she saw him standing there dumbfounded and with wide eyes by her parting words. She gave him a wink and continued to laugh together with Peyton as they left the hangar.

* * *

><p>Nathan had finished showering and got quickly dressed after he'd dried himself. He was about to finish styling his hair when he heard Jake call out his name from downstairs. He quickly made sure it looked perfect in the mirror and tapped the underline of his jaw with a drop of cologne before he went downstairs to Jake.<p>

"Alright, I'm done. You ready for this?" He asked Jake with a small grin.

"Yeah, sure…Why wouldn't I be? It's only dinner, right?" Jake said confused by Nathan's tone.

Nathan chuckled lightly and patted his shoulder as he opened the front door and mimicked for them to leave. "Sure it's only dinner, buddy." A slight sarcasm was evident in his voice.

Jake only responded by shaking his head as he went outside and waited for Nathan to lock the door.

* * *

><p>Haley and Peyton were doing the last finish on the dinner they were making. They were both giggling and having fun in the kitchen as they did. They'd already opened a bottle of wine and were on their way of getting a little buzzed. If they weren't already, seeing as the bottle was almost empty.<p>

As they were waiting for the pasta to get ready, the door opened and Nathan entered with Jake close behind him.

"Oh, hey guys! You're just on time actually!" Haley grinned at the boys as they made their entrance. "Come on in and have some wine, it's just a couple of more minutes until it's all done."

Haley walked over to the guys to greet them. She embraced Jake and gave him a hug and told him to go over to Peyton so she could give him a glass of wine.

She then faced Nathan and smiled at him before she threw herself in his arms and welcomed him with a kiss.

"Hey, Hales!" Nathan said as she jumped over to him and practically bounced him. He couldn't help but laugh against her lips; she was seriously too cute sometimes.

Haley pulled away from Nathan and looked at him. "Why are you laughing? Did I do something funny?" She asked confused, still remained in his arms.

"It's nothing really. You are adorable, that's all. I'm just the lucky bastard to have you as my girlfriend." He rubbed his nose against hers and grinned.

Haley mirrored his grin and squinted at him before she gave him a soft kiss on his nose. "You really are lucky mister." She joked. "And if you play your cards right, you might get even luckier later tonight." She looked into his eyes and bit her lower lip and then slipped out of his arms and went back to the kitchen.

Nathan let out a small groan when Haley bit down her lip and wiggled her sexy ass over to the kitchen counter. She smiled sexily to him over her shoulder and picked up her glass of wine to take a sip. Man, she really was something. Even though she was wearing a pair of blue jeans, which was fitted perfectly for her, and a plain white, low v-neck top, she looked absolutely stunning in Nathan's eyes. And the way she swayed her curved little body over the floor made him completely mesmerized. He could be completely satisfied by simply watching her, and listen to her sexy voice all day long. He smiled to himself as he watched her take a sip of her wine and poured a new glass before she turned around and handed it to him. He accepted the glass from her petite hand, and took a hold of her chin with his other hand and leaned down and kissed her long and tenderly on her lips.

He heard a sharp, short sigh from Haley as he pulled back. "Thank you." He said looking at her. "I look forward to when Peyton and Jake are leaving later tonight, by the way." He smirked and smacked her ass, before he went into the living room to join Jake while the girls finished up in the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"So do you work for Nathan, Jake?" Peyton asked as they were sitting around the table eating Haley's own homemade meatballs with pasta.<p>

"Well, yeah. I applied for a job when I first moved here after graduating, and it didn't take longer than like 5 minutes of conversation before the job was mine." Jake said and grinned at Nathan. "I guess he couldn't resist my charm." He added teasingly.

Peyton and Haley chuckled as they turned and caught Nathan's reaction to Jake's answer.

"Or that's what I have you believe." Nathan shot in. "I just felt sorry for you, that's all." He finished the wine in his glass and glared mischievously at him.

They all laughed at Nathan's response. Haley leaned over to him and kissed his cheek as she reached for the bottle of wine to fill up his glass when she noticed he was empty. "I don't think you would've hired him if he wasn't good at what he does, sweetie." She said and smiled as the laughter slowly died down.

Nathan chuckled and changed his gaze between Jake and Haley. "Jake knows I'm just messing with him. But he was hired with a learning curve, actually." Nathan winked at Jake.

"Ha-ha, yeah, that's true." Jake confirmed.

"Does mechanics have a long learning curve?" Peyton shot in, in between the boys' bantering.

They all broke into a new laugh at her question, and she looked confused as hell. "What's so funny about that?" She asked slightly annoyed, she didn't like it when people were laughing at her.

"I'm sorry." Jake barley got out between laughs. He finally calmed down and looked at her. "I'm not a mechanic. I'm a pilot, just as Nathan." He said and smiled at her.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I just assumed since I saw you in the garage earlier today…" Peyton started to explain and felt her embarrassment spread through her body. She wished the floor would just open up and swallow her sitting on the chair.

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it." Jake gave her half a smile.

"He does have the whole mechanic-look going on though." Nathan teased.

"Shut up man! Your business wouldn't survive without me, so don't try to be a smarty-pants."

Nathan chuckled softly and started to gather the plates as they were all finished eating.

"What are you doing, Nathan?" Haley asked surprised.

"I'm clearing the table to do the dishes, is what I'm doing." He gave her a smile as he slowly got up and balanced the plates on his arm. "And you guys can all move over to the living room, it's more comfortable there." He said walking over to the kitchen sink.

Jake and Peyton were also about to get up and carry the dirty dishes into the kitchen when Haley halted them. "Oh no, you guys bring your glasses and the bottle into the living room. Nathan and I will take care of this." She said and grabbed the plates from Jake's hand.

"Okay…You sure you don't need any help?" Jake asked to be sure.

"Positive." Haley smiled. "Go on, we'll join you in a minute."

Peyton and Jake made small talk while Nathan and Haley cleaned up in the kitchen.

* * *

><p>The night went by, and after a couple of more wine bottles and light conversation, Jake and Peyton broke out and went home. They'd enjoyed each others company this evening, and Jake walked her home before he was a perfect gentleman and went home to his own apartment. But not before he had worked up his courage all the way to Peyton's apartment and asked her out the next day for a late lunch date, in which she gladly accepted.<p>

"Do you think it worked?" Haley smiled at Nathan after their friends left.

"Do you mean if I think they're hooking up?" He smirked back.

Haley laughed and smacked his arm. "That's a way to describe it, but not exactly what I meant. They looked cute together, didn't they?"

She was excited for their friends and hoped that they would get together. Peyton deserved a good guy for a change, someone that would appreciate her for who she was, and not screwing around behind her back. And from what she knew about Jake of the little Nathan had told her, he seemed like a good guy. He was almost as good as her guy. She turned and looked at Nathan with a dreamy smile.

"What?" He asked.

Haley's smile grew even bigger as Nathan spoke. "It's just that I love you." She bit down on her lip. "Like a lot actually." She added, right before Nathan captured her lips.

The kiss soon grew in intensity, and the second Nathan traced his tongue over Haley's lips she opened and let him in. She let out a moan as she felt his tongue tangle with her own. Eventually air became an issue, so they broke apart and looked into each others eyes, both panting for air.

"I love you too, Hales." Nathan breathed out and stroked his thumb over her cheekbone.

Nathan then got up and started to blow out the candles which were shattered around the living room. After checking that the door was locked, he walked over to Haley sitting in the couch and extended his hand to her. "Come on, drunky, let's go to bed." He smirked at her.

Haley watched as Nathan made sure every candle was out and securing the door. She got turned on by just watching him walk around, and every time he bent down to blow out a candle, she saw the muscles of his back flex through his t-shirt. He was way too sexy for his own good. And he was all hers. She licked her lips as he came standing in front of her again and holding out his hand.

Haley mocked gasped and took a hold of his hand to let him help her up from the couch. When she was standing she smacked him lightly on the arm and got a chuckle in response. "I'm not drunk!" Nathan only laughed at her statement. She was about to smack him again when she started to sway a little, so she had to grab onto his arm to keep from falling over.

Nathan took a hold of her around her waist when he saw she was about to fall over. "You were saying?" He smirked down at her.

"Ugh, fine maybe I'm a little buzzed, but I'm not drunk." She said stubbornly. Nathan chuckled softly at her adorable pout.

"Fine, you're not drunk." He continued laughing. "Still, let's get your buzzed ass into bed." He added and walked them into the bedroom.

* * *

><p>AN; <em>So this was a rather uneventful chapter, not much happening. And I apologize for that. But it was a much needed 'filler-chapter', before the next one...dum dum dum..<em>

_Thank you for still reading and reviewing!_  
><em>Just want you to know, that even though it might take some time between updates the upcoming weeks, I will still pull through and finish this. I won't leave you hanging, at least not forever... So don't worry.<em>


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer; I still don't own anything.

AN; _Nah, I'm not gonna say anything now...I'll leave you to it and let you be the judges, enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

The days and weeks slowly went by, and the holiday season were getting closer.

Nathan had worked more these last few weeks. He hadn't had any more international flights, but he had numerous short domestic trips around the country. And therefore he'd seen less of Haley. It bothered him a lot actually, to be away from her so much, because he knew she tended to build up her wall whenever he wasn't around. She still wouldn't let herself be completely free of that weight she was carrying around. He could hear it in her voice when they were talking on the phone, she became more distant and she seemed far away. Being away from her was pure torture. He missed her; he missed her like crazy, her smell, her soft skin, her delicate touch and her amazing lips. God he missed those lips. And he missed just holding her in his arms.

He hadn't been home for 6 days now, since one trip overlapped the other, so he'd barley been home in Charlotte for an hour in between his flights. But that was only to refill the tank and clean up his jet before the next trip. Of course he was glad his business went well, and he welcomed the money and all, but ever since he met Haley he'd gotten a different perspective on his life. He didn't feel the same need to work that much anymore. His company had been his escape and basically his life ever since he started up. And his realtionships, if you can even call them realtionships, had always been secondary to him. But he understood now, why he'd never really given the previous women he'd dated or hooked up with, more attention than he did. They were never right for him, and he realized that he'd actually never felt anything for them. At least not the way he now felt about Haley. It turned out that they were only a distraction and someone he sort of used for his own needs, no matter how bad that sounded. But it was all in the past and there was nothing he could do about that now, and it was not like he treated them bad or anything, he just didn't develop any feelings for them, that's all.

He knew exactly what he wanted now. He was done being a bachelor. A smile slowly formed on his lips as he thought about it. There was no doubt in his mind that Haley was it. She was his present as well as his future. And he was going to make sure she was well aware of that. He didn't want her to be uncertain about anything around their relationship, and especially not about how he felt about her, about them.

He was on his way back to Charlotte; it was only a couple of hours left until he was home. And he couldn't wait to sleep in his own bed. He knew that Haley was at the hospital when he would return, but she had the evening off, so he decided that he would make her dinner and just take care of her after her long day at the hospital. He just wanted to do something nice for her. She, of all people, really did deserve to have someone that would do nice things for her and simply take care of her, just the way she took care of the people that she loved.

* * *

><p>Haley was running like crazy in the ward today. For some reason, people always tended to get into the worst accident's and got more frequently sick when the holidays were approaching, which was totally weird in her opinion. Either way, today was a definite proof of that.<p>

At least she got to do the things she loved the most, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing seen from a doctor's perspective. In addition, there was the fact that she got her mind off of her personal issues which had swirled around in her head this week when Nathan had been away almost all week. It was difficult not having him around. He made everything so much better, so much easier and lighter in a way. But the minute she was alone all these dark and self destroying thoughts entered her mind. And the longer Nathan was away, the more time she had to rebuild what he had worked so hard to tear down from her wall of defense.

She did have Peyton though, which was all you could ask from a friend. She understood and knew about all of her issues, and she never had any problems talking to her. But Peyton had been rather busy lately, with Jake, ever since the night they'd had dinner at her place, when she and Nathan were playing cupid to their best friends. And it turned out to work just the way they wanted. She chuckled a little by the thought of that night. It was a fun night, and they should really do that again soon.

Haley really looked forward to see Nathan again tonight. She felt like it had been way too long since she had seen him. It was after all 6 days, almost a full week. She missed being held by his strong arms at night, falling asleep by the calming sounds of his heart beating. Not to mention, she was also horny as hell. Ever since she'd met Nathan, she had experienced sex on a very different level. She didn't think it was possible to have such an incredible sex life. He was beyond amazing and she could never get enough of him, which had an surprising effect on her, because she had never been like that before. She was suffering from a serious Nathan withdrawal.

_Oh, dear Lord_.

Now she sounded like some kind of sex maniac or something. But when it came to Nathan, she often found her head in the gutter, it was inevitable. She quickly shook it off and smiled at her dirty little self, as a new patient rolled through the emergency doors.

* * *

><p>Haley was changing out of her scrubs after finally finishing her shift. It was 6 pm and she now realized she was actually very hungry. She hadn't had any time to eat since lunch, and that was before noon. She pulled out her phone while she locked her locker, to check if she had any messages or missed calls.<p>

A smile soon graced her face as she saw the text waiting for her.

'_Hi_ _baby. Come right over to my place when you're done :) Love u! x_'

Haley felt her entire body tingle just by reading his text and knowing that he was waiting for her. All previous thoughts about food was now forgotten, the only thing that mattered was going home as fast as possible, to her hunk of a boyfriend.

She was exiting the changing room that connected to the lounge, still looking at her phone in her hand when she bumped into someone. She was about to excuse herself, when she got pulled back into the changing room. Everything happened so fast and she didn't even have time to think, before she was pinned to the wall right next to the door.

"What th…" She was cut off with a pair of lips on her own.

She couldn't register anything, except the feeling of a pair of dry, hard lips that were attacking her in the most uncomfortable kiss she'd ever experienced. It took a few seconds before she were able to get over the initial shock. When she suddenly came to her senses, she used all her strength to push this person away with a hard shove in the chest.

She looked up and met _his_ smug face looking down at her, his lips glistening after his attack on her. Her entire body started to shake in fright and mostly anger when she realized who she was facing.

What the hell was he doing here? Was he back just to mess with her? Or was he back for good? And what on earth was he thinking, attacking her like that!

It took a few more seconds before she could find her voice. Her chest heaving. She gave him another angry shove in the chest when she registered that he was still mere centimeters away from her.

"What the hell are you doing here!" She was so angry that she felt like her entire body was burning up from the inside. "And get your filthy hands off of me!"

She got nothing but another smug smile from him. He didn't say anything but took a step closer to her again and raised his hand toward her face.

She smacked his hand away this time before he could touch her and simultaneously slapped him across his face, before she pushed him into the lockers behind him. "Get the fuck away from me! Does it really look like I want to be touched by you, let alone speak to you!"

She was fuming now.

"And what gives you the right to just attack me like that, huh?" She gave him a death glare as he slowly composed himself after she'd pushed him into the lockers.

"Geez, what's with the temper? I thought you'd be happy to see me Hales…" His hand rubbed his own cheek that she'd slapped pretty hard seconds earlier. His eyes had a dark color as he stared intently at her.

Haley felt chills throughout her body, and not the good kind of chills, by the change of color in his eyes. Sure she'd seen Nathan's eyes shift color to a darker shade, but this was something completely different. This scared her. She felt the back of her eyes started to prick with tears, but quickly blinked them away. She would not give him the satisfaction to see her cry.

"Give me one good reason why I should be happy to see you? And don't call me that. You don't get to say my name, not now and never again!" She was shouting now.

He took one step toward her again. "Oh, come on now, I've missed you."

"No!" She moved slowly toward the door, her body shaking uncontrollably.

"Stay the hell away from me. I thought I made that perfectly clear the last time I saw you! I still mean that." She finished before she rushed out the doors, tears running slowly down her cheeks. She ran all the way out to her car, never once looked back before she settled inside behind the steering wheel and locked the doors. The second after, she finally broke down into loud sobs and let the tears fall uncontrollably. She sat there for what felt like hours as she let out all of the fear and anger, the frustration and the confusion about why he was suddenly back, and why he still acted like nothing had happened.

* * *

><p>Haley had finally managed to compose herself, and somewhat clear her mind. She tried to push the previous hour in the back of her mind as she was on her way home to Nathan. She just wanted to forget about it all, pretend like it never happened.<p>

She hadn't gotten far from the hospital when she was one of the first people to arrive at a rather ugly car accident. Apparently it looked like one car had hit another car in the side.

She quickly turned her car to the side of the road and ran out to check on the first car.

Another car pulled over and a guy ran over to the other car to check there, while a third one dialed 911.

Haley came over to the car that had been hit on the driver's side. She came to a sudden halt when she saw the blond curly head lying over the steering wheel. There was no sign of movement.

A sharp sting shot through her, and she froze completely. The image of her parents immediately went through her mind and she could feel the sour acid taste from her stomach ascend into her mouth. She had to swallow hard several times to avoid throwing up right there at the spot. She couldn't believe that this would happen to her again. What wrong had she done to the world to deserve something like this? She was totally paralyzed as she stood there in shock.

It didn't take more than a few seconds before she came out of her initial shocked state and went the remaining steps over to the car, but it felt like she'd been standing there for an eternity. Haley had somehow managed to block everything else out, and was now a doctor working on pure instinct and adrenaline. She quickly checked her pulse, which she found, a little weaker than normal, but still good enough. She tried to check her more thoroughly without moving her too much, in case she had injuries to her spine. She didn't want to risk anything when it came to spinal injuries, no matter who she was dealing with. She saw right away that her left arm was broken as her upper arm had an open fracture, and most of her left leg was completely crushed in between the smashed door. However her head seemed to be fine. She only had a few bruises, some cuts and scrapes, at least from what she could see from where she was standing. Haley quickly pulled out her belt and tied it hard around her upper arm, as close as she could to Peyton's shoulder, to stop more of the bleeding that came from the open fracture. There was no point in putting pressure directly on the fracture since the bone was sticking out and pointing towards her. She just had to do whatever she could do until the paramedics came and took over. Haley's upper body was halfway through the broken window as she tried to get a better look at her leg, but it was impossible to get to it.

_Fuck!_

When she heard the sirens approach she pulled her head out of Peyton's car and ran over to the other car, when she knew that Peyton was somewhat stable, and there was nothing more she could do for her at the moment anyway.

There were two people in the other car, and she could conclude that the passenger was already dead. She obviously hadn't used her seatbelt, so she was thrown through the windshield and probably died momentarily after the impact.

The driver was a man, he was pretty messed up as well. She saw that his entire face was covered in blood, and he had a large gash above his right eye that was continuously pumping blood. He was half conscious and screamed out in pain and agony. By the time she was able to get over to him, the paramedics had already beaten her to him. She established that they had him under control, so she ran back to Peyton's car and explained what she knew out of the situation to the paramedics that was standing over her now. One of them were able to go in from the other side to give her a better check, while they were waiting for the firemen to get there, so they could cut out the door, since it was too smashed for them to get it open.

Haley stood next to the car, observing the paramedic team as they worked on Peyton. Her tears were silently rolling down her cheeks, her arms and clothes were all covered in blood. But she didn't notice. She jumped when she was suddenly bumped into by one of the firemen that came running up to the car from behind her and asked her to move away a couple of steps.

Haley felt like she was miles away as she stood to the side, watching the firemen and the paramedics work on getting Peyton out of the car and onto the stretcher, before she was taken into the ambulance and driven away.

She snapped out of it when the loud siren made a sound, and felt her eyes well up till everything became blurry, as she saw Peyton disappear in the ambulance.

She had to go back to the hospital and be there for her. There was no way she could be anywhere else now. She also needed to call Nathan. But she could do that when she was on her way back.

She ran back to her car and found her phone, with 3 missed calls and a text, all from Nathan.

'_Where r u? I'm getting worried. Please pick up the phone…_'

She felt her cheeks getting wet as her tears were streaming down.

"Hales! Where are you? Are you okay?" Nathan's worried voice broke through the silence after only one ring.

"Nathan…" She sniffled and more tears escaped her eyes. The hand that was holding the phone was shaking uncontrollably.

"Haley, baby. What's wrong? You're scaring me…" Nathan heard Haley was crying and suddenly the worst thoughts and fears went through his mind.

"It's not me…but Peyton…" A big sob chocked her words. "She's been in an accident."

"Oh, my God. What happened? Is she okay? Where are you Haley?" Nathan was terrified and a little relieved that Haley was okay, at least in physical form.

"She was hit by another car. Can you please come to the hospital Nathan? I'm going back there now. I don't think I can do this alone." She spoke, almost whispered.

"I'm on my way. You sure you are able to drive on your own? I can come to wherever you are and pick you up?" Nathan said while he was blowing out candles and turning off the stove before he ran out to his car.

"I think I'll be fine. Either way I have to move my car out of the road, besides, it's not far to the hospital from here. But thank you though." She said, grateful of how kind and caring he was. "I'll go straight inside and check up on Peyton. You can just go to the emergency waiting area, and I'll come out and get you, okay?" She added and started her car and turned around to go back.

"Sure, I'll be there in soon. I'm already in my car. Is it anything you need me to do? You want me to call Jake?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, yeah do you mind? That would be great. Thank you Nathan…"

"Of course, that's the least I can do. I'll see you soon baby. I'm right around the corner."

Haley sighed and blinked away a few remaining tears. "Okay. See you soon." She said in a low voice before she finished the conversation.

* * *

><p>Nathan ran through the doors leading into the emergency area, looking frantically around to see if he could spot Haley anywhere. When he didn't see her, he went over and leaned on the wall next to the doors which led into the ICU and waited paintently for Haley to come out.<p>

He had called Jake right after he'd hung up with Haley, so he was also expecting him to come through the doors any minute now.

Nathan was unable to stand still for too long, this terrified feeling made him really queasy. Not long ago he was in this very room with the same feeling, maybe even worse, scared as hell of the thought of losing Sarah. This time it was Peyton, Haley's best friend and family, sort of. He didn't know whether she was going to be okay or how bad it was. From the little he knew Peyton; he knew she didn't deserve something like this to happen to her.

And Haley didn't deserve this. Not again. After all these years, another car accident, involving people she love and care about. It's really not fair. He also had no idea how this would affect Haley. If she was able to handle and deal with this, especially since she still had problems with the way she lost her parents. And not to mention the guilt she felt for still being alive when they weren't. Even though it wasn't her fault and there was nothing she could've done. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Nathan was pacing back and forth when the doors opened and Haley stepped out from the ICU. Her clothes were dark red from all the blood, even her face and neck were red stained. Nathan felt a sharp sting in his chest when he saw her broken, tear streaked face, as he turned around to face her.<p>

Haley caught Nathan's eyes, as he halted and turned his head at the doors, and immediately ran into his arms.

It felt good to hold her in his arms again, even though it was under the wrong circumstances. He didn't care about the blood stains on her clothes or the ones on her arms or in her face. That was the last thing on his mind right now. He would always feel right about holding her like this; it didn't matter what kind of situation it was, he would be there for her no matter what. And he could feel how much she needed him in this moment. How hard she clung onto him around his torso, how she sobbed loudly into his chest, just how she let her feelings go and accepted him to simply hold her in his embrace.

They stood like that for a while, until Haley were able to calm down a little. She pulled slightly away from Nathan's chest and looked up into his worried eyes and gave him a sad smile.

Nathan returned her smile with a worried look. "How is she?" He asked quietly and led them over to some chairs in the corner. He saw her cried out, red, puffy eyes, and his concern didn't disappear any more from the sight. If any, it increased his worry for her, and he couldn't help but feel sad, helpless and some sort of emptiness.

"She…um…she's in surgery now." She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "She was hurt pretty bad, but I think she's going to be okay." She quickly said before the sobs came back and prevented her from being able to speak.

Nathan took a hold of her hand which was resting in her lap and rubbed it.

"I'm so sorry Hales. I'm sorry this happened to Peyton, and to you." He looked into her brown eyes, which again filled with tears.

"If there's anything I can do, please tell me. Okay?" He leaned forward and kissed her forehead and pulled back to look into her eyes again. "I want you to know that I'm here for you. It doesn't matter what it is that you need, okay. I will be here for anything, anything at all." He held her gaze so that she would understand that he meant every word, and that she could ask him whatever she wanted or needed.

Haley listened to Nathan's words, and felt more tears threatening to spill. She smiled sadly at him when he stopped talking. She felt herself getting lost in his beautiful eyes, that were filled with so much sincerity, worry and love, all for her. She laced their fingers and gave his hand a gentle squeeze for a small confirmation that she understood and knew that he was there for her.

"You are so good to me, Nathan. And I can't thank you enough for being here with me now. For me." She palmed his cheek with her other hand and caressed her thumb along his cheekbone.

"Nate? Haley?" Their moment was broken by Jake's voice, and they both turned around when Jake came running into the waiting room. He looked like a mess, red eyes and a terrified expression in his face.

Nathan let go of Haley's hand and quickly got up and embraced his friend when he came over to where they were sitting.

"How is she? Is she okay?" Jake's voice was barley audible.

He then hugged Haley and looked at them both when he pulled back.

Haley was the one to break the brief silence. "She's in surgery right now." She started, her hand taking hold of Nathan's hand again. She needed to feel him; she could feel her hope and strength increase many fold just by his touch.

"I know she had a broken arm and a broken leg. And her leg was pretty messed up. They were both open fractures, so she also lost some blood." She shook her head. "I have no idea about her internal damages, but I think she's going to be fine. She's in good hands right now." She continued while Nathan gave her hand a soft squeeze. "She was lucky though." She then added.

Jake let out a relieved sigh. He knew he could trust what Haley told him. Nathan had told him that Haley was one of the first to the scene, and she wouldn't have said that Peyton was going to be fine if she wasn't. She would never lie to him, and especially when it came to Peyton which was her best friend.

"Do you know how long it'll be until she's out of surgery?" He asked.

"I don't know, but it could take a while. I guess they could be in there almost all night. It depends on how extensive the injuries of her leg really is. It didn't look good." She reasoned. But there was a lot she didn't know around her injuries. And she was already too late to ask the surgeon, that was responsible for her, when she came back to the hospital. They had already taken her to the OR when Haley finally got there, even though she wasn't far behind the ambulance.

"Do you need anything buddy?" Nathan shot in and looked at Jake. "Is there something we can do?"

"Thanks, but I'll be okay, I think. I'll just wait here until the doctor comes out." He said looking around and found a chair to sit down in.

"We will stay here with you, Jake. You're not going to wait here alone." Nathan said and sat down next to him.

"No you guys don't have to…" Jake started to argue.

"Of course we are!" Haley interrupted him. "I'm not going anywhere, she's my Peyton and I need to know that she will be okay before I can leave this place." She said in a serious tone. There was no way that she would leave this place until she knew that Peyton was at least safe out of the surgery.

"Actually, I'm going to go grab us some coffee. I have access to freshly made coffee. And maybe see if anyone have any news from the OR." She added, and tried to lighten up the mood a little with half a smile to the boys sitting down in front of her. She tried to find some sort of strength, mostly for herself but also for Jake. It wasn't easy, but she had to. She wouldn't allow herself to break down any more than she'd already done.

She then looked down at her shirt and her hands. They were still covered in Peyton's blood. "I'm also going to try and wash off some of this." She said more to herself and blinked once to see if maybe it could've disappeared by itself. But it was still there when she opened her eyes again. This was real. She let out a sigh and looked back at the guys sitting in front of her.

Nathan smiled back up at her; his smile was so beautiful and genuine. She felt so much comfort by that simple gesture.

"I'll come with you and help you carry." He got up and kissed her cheek. "And I'll help you wash off some of that you have on your face." He put his hand at the small of her back.

"Are you going to be okay here for a few minutes? Anything else you want us to bring you?" Nathan asked looking down at Jake.

"Thanks Nate. I'll be fine, just go. Coffee is fine." He forced a small smile and watched them turn and walk away.

* * *

><p>It was several hours later, and still they hadn't heard anything. They were all sitting in the waiting room, neither of them was talking.<p>

Haley felt her eyes getting heavy, she'd had a long day and started to feel the exhaustion seep through her entire body. This thing with Peyton only added up to what had happened earlier in the changing room. She felt an uneasy emotion run through her, together with a million of other thoughts; confusion, anger, sadness, helplessness and fright. _His_ face suddenly appeared in her mind and she shuddered by the thought. She didn't want to think about it, about him. That scumbag. She didn't need him to control her life again by just entering her mind like that, so she forced him out of her mind and tried to focus about something else.

She looked over at Nathan and yawned when she again felt another wave of exhaustion roll through her. She pulled her legs underneath herself and tried to get comfortable with her head against Nathan's shoulder. She didn't want to fall asleep, but she needed to relax just a little bit, and it was after all better to lean against Nathan's warm body instead of sitting straight up in that chair.

Nathan felt Haley snuggle into him, and held out his arm to hold around her shoulder, to make her more comfortable. He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled herself into his side.

"How are you feeling baby?" He whispered into her hair.

"Mmm, I am better now." She smiled against his shoulder. Her heart fluttered by his constant consideration for her. He always put her need and comfort first, in every situation. She tilted her head back and raised it a little and gave him a small kiss.

Still she couldn't shake that uneasy feeling she had. She felt bad for keeping him in the dark, but she couldn't do this now. She just needed to forget about it and make it go away. Even though it was only temporarily. She knew she had to tell him sometime, but her best friend was in surgery right now, and that was what she needed to focus on at the moment.

_Ugh, Fuck him_.

Nathan smiled down at her when she opened her eyes after their kiss.

"This feels right." Haley whispered.

The kiss from earlier suddenly flashed her mind again, and she inwardly cringed. She quickly pushed it out and focused back on Nathan.

"I mean you and me. Not us sitting here in the waiting room at the hospital, waiting for Peyton to get out of surgery." She put her hand on his chest and grasped lightly on his shirt.

Nathan kissed her nose and rested his chin on the top of her head. "This is exactly how it's supposed to be, you, in my arms." He sighed out. "Always." His arm around her tightened.

He then turned his head to check on Jake. He was sitting bent forward, his head resting in his hands, elbows on his knees. Nathan could see he was uncomfortable and worried, even though he kind of knew that Peyton would be okay. But there was always the risk of being in surgery. You heard about unexpected complications that occurred throughout the procedure. And they had been in there for a long time now. Nathan had to admit that he was also worried and a little nervous on both Jake's and Haley's behalf.

He gently patted Jake's back. "How are you holding up buddy?"

"This is complete torture." Jake said monotony, his head still resting in his hands.

"She's going to be fine. You heard what Haley said. And trust me, she knows what she's talking about." He tried a lighter tone.

Jake only nodded his head in response. He was unable to speak or do anything. He felt completely numb. He realized now how much he actually cared about Peyton. They hadn't dated very long, but she had become a very important person in his life during that short period of time. He let out a loud sigh and got up from his chair. He needed to do something. He couldn't sit still anymore, he was slowly going crazy so he started to pace around in the waiting area.

* * *

><p>It was almost one in the morning when Nathan and Haley entered Nathan's house. They were exhausted and they both went straight upstairs to the bedroom without saying a word.<p>

The surgeons had eventually finished up in the OR and brought the good news to the threesome that was waiting patiently. She was going to be fine, but her leg was almost crushed and they had to use a lot of metal plates and wires to put it back together since it was an open fracture. They didn't really know whether the leg would be able to fully function or not. They just had to wait and follow the healing process of the leg closely, and see how her therapy went after a while.

More importantly, she had made it out of surgery without any major complications. She only had some minor internal damages that they were able to take care of, so she was out of any life danger. Now, all she needed was plenty of rest. She had lost some blood due to the open fractures, so her body was still weak, therefore they didn't want anyone of them to stay there too long.

Nathan and Haley stayed for a while even though she was still unconscious. Haley didn't care what the surgeon said and wanted to stay by her side all night, but Nathan had managed to convince her that she should come back home with him and get a good night sleep. He could see that Haley was completely drained, and worried that she would exhaust herself if she didn't get any sleep. She reluctantly agreed to leave with Nathan, when she felt herself almost being unable to stand up straight. Nathan had asked Jake, before they left, to give him a call when he had news or whenever Peyton was awake, so that they could come back the next day. He knew Haley would like that and that she would want to go back as soon as she knew Peyton was awake. He knew she was hurting now, and he wanted to help her as much as he possibly could.

They both changed out of their clothes, and brushed their teeth without saying a word. Nathan finished before Haley and got under the covers while she was quickly removing her make up.

She stood still for a moment, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was relieved about the outcome of this day. This day, that was supposed to be nothing but happy and good, had turned out to be terrifying and drenching. She looked tired and exhausted, in which she also actually was. She closed her eyes for a brief second and let out a sigh before she turned around and went into bed with Nathan.  
>She glanced over at him and saw that his eyes were closed. She dragged her hand through her hair and sighed before she turned over at her side, facing away from Nathan. After what had happened today, she felt like she didn't deserve to lay close to him, especially since she still hadn't gotten the courage to tell him yet. She closed her eyes and tried to force the sleep to take her away from this day. She then felt the bed behind her shift, and suddenly Nathan's arm was draped over her waist and her back was pulled into his hard chest. She stiffened a little and snapped open her eyes at the contact, but relaxed immediately into his body when she felt him place a soft kiss at back of her neck.<p>

Haley silently let out a sigh of relief, because this is what she wanted, however the small voice in the back of her mind still wouldn't go away. She tried to force it out of her head once more as she closed her eyes again. She lay completely still and listened to Nathan's even breath, that tingled in the back of her neck. Silently praying for sleep to come.

* * *

><p>AN; <em>Okay, so there you go. Still, we don't know who <span>he<span> is...at least we know it's someone that Haley isn't exactly thrilled about seing again. Do you think she will tell Nathan about that guy and the encounter in the locker room? And then there's Peyton's accident. Poor Haley, will she be able to get through all of this? She clearly has a lot to deal with right now. Hopefully she won't close off again, like she did after her parents died._

_Thank you all for still reading and hopefully enjoying this story!_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer; I do not own anything.

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

Peyton woke up, feeling a stinging pain in her entire body. She was unable to move her left leg and her left arm. She slowly adjusted her eyes and tried to figure out where she was, what was going on. She looked around and saw cream white colored walls, a television in the right corner, and a chair next to the window. When she turned her head the other way she saw Jake's head lying next to her on the bed. She lifted her good arm and carefully raked her fingers through his hair. She felt him stir a little and then suddenly he lifted his head.

Jake's tired face suddenly brightened up by seeing Peyton's eyes. "Hey. You're awake." The biggest smile graced his face. "How are you feeling?" He took a hold of her hand and squeezed it affectionately.

"I feel like I've been beaten up, twice." She started to laugh, but quickly winced instead because of the pain. "What happened?" She was still a little confused.

"Does it hurt? It's probably the anesthetics that has worn off. I'll call the nurse in here and let them know you're awake." Jake said when he saw her wince in pain. "You don't remember anything from the accident?" He asked while getting up to get her some water.

"I can remember small parts of it." She replied. "I know I was on my way home from an audition…" She then trailed off, trying to remember.

Jake handed her the cup and sat down again next to her bed. "Yeah, you were driving and then some asshole went on red and hit you in the side." Jake felt himself getting angry as he thought about the idiot in the other car.

Peyton took a few sips of the water and waited for Jake to continue.

"Haley was the first one to the scene, and she helped you until the ambulance came. She told me the other guy survived, but the female passenger died in the impact." He said low and reached over to buzz the caller.

Tears welled up in Peyton's eyes when she heard Jake tell her that Haley was the first one there and that she had to see her like that. "How is she?" Peyton asked.

Jake understood who she was asking about. "She's doing better. She and Nathan went home around one in the morning after sitting here with me during your surgery." He told her.

"She doesn't need this. Not now, not ever." The tears rolled slowly down her cheek.

"Hey…don't worry okay. She has Nathan, he's with her and she will be fine, and you will be fine. I'll make sure of that." He looked at her intently and gave her a tiny nod.

"I'll give them a call and ask them to come in later when you've talked to the doctor, okay?" He consoled her, palmed her face and wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheek.

Peyton looked at Jake and nodded silently. He returned her nod by smiling; just then the nurse came into the room and started talking and asking Peyton how she was feeling.

* * *

><p>Nathan woke up early; his body was already used to getting up everyday at this hour, even though he went to bed late. At least today he didn't have to go to work. And he didn't even wanted to go to work today. Not after all that had happened yesterday. That took a big toll on everyone, himself included. But more importantly, Haley. He could only imagine what kind of emotional stress she was going through right now. He then turned his head and looked at the tiny brunette lying close to his chest, still sleeping safe and sound. He smiled softly at the sight and brushed a stray of her hair away from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear.<p>

He felt his heart starting to beat fast only by looking at her sleeping form. She was the most beautiful thing in the world, and he had never ever felt the need to protect and take care of another person before, like the way he did for Haley. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, careful not to wake her, because she needed all the rest she could get. He then snuggled his head next to hers and lay there completely still, just breathing in her scent and listening to her soft breaths.

Haley had slept like a rock, when she was first able to fall asleep. Her thoughts had kept her up a while, but eventually the exhaustion had finally won and took her into a deep, and actually a peaceful sleep. It was the first night in a while she had been sleeping properly, despite of what had happened yesterday. Having Nathan next to her in bed was everything she needed to feel safe enough to escape from all of her thoughts and worries, and to get a good nights sleep. Even though she thought she didn't deserve it, considering what she was hiding from him.

She was half awake, but didn't open her eyes. She just lay next to Nathan, listening to his calm breath and even heart beat as she had snuggled herself into his chest. She moved her hand over his chest and felt him shudder and squeezed her tighter as a result from her moving hand.

"Good morning." She said still resting her head at his chest and without opening her eyes.

Nathan kissed the top of her head and rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"Good morning beautiful." He whispered into her hair. "How did you sleep?" He asked.

"Mmm, like a baby." She moved her body even further into Nathan's body, if that was physically possible, and raised her head and kissed the underline of his jaw.

He lowered his head and met her soft, warm lips in a lingering kiss.

"I sleep so much better when you are here, next to me." She said after their kiss and looked deep into his eyes.

"Me too, Hales. Just knowing that you're here. Safe with me, gives me peace." He moved his body down so they were level with their heads. "I don't know what I would've done if anything happened to you." He said seriously, running his knuckles over her cheek.

Haley smiled softly at him. She loved him so much for being so sweet and caring.

"Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm not going anywhere, Nathan." She replied. "I love you so much; I don't know what I would've done without you." Haley continued holding his gaze. "Especially yesterday, I have no idea where I would've been right now, if you hadn't been there for me yesterday. I'm forever grateful for that Nathan. Thank you." She kissed him again, and felt him relax into her kiss.

Nathan felt himself get lost in her beautiful eyes and her mouth, which looked so beautiful when she talked. There wasn't a thing about this girl that wasn't perfect. And sometimes he couldn't believe that she was his, all his. He was the one who got to touch her that special way, hold her and kiss her. He was the luckiest man on the planet.

His mind turned into a complete bliss when he felt her lips connect with his own after she had finished telling him how grateful she was for him being there for her. For Nathan, there was no other way for him now. He would always do whatever he could possibly do for this woman. She was his everything.

Haley moaned into his mouth when he moved his hand down to her hip, pulled her closer into his body and deepened the kiss. His tongue was soon seeking for entrance into her mouth, which she accepted immediately. This time it was Nathan who let out a deep groan when their tongues touched and tangled together. He slowly moved his hand under the hem of her tank top she was sleeping in, and felt her soft, warm skin on her lower back.

As Nathan touched her bare skin, Haley shivered and felt the need of him intensify. His hands did amazing things with her body, and this time was no different. She was suddenly flipped over on her back with Nathan on top of her, his mouth trailing kisses down her neck.

"God, you taste so good, baby. I've missed you so much." Nathan murmured against her skin.

Haley ran her hands through his hair and pulled at it slightly so she could look at him. "I've missed you too Nathan." She said in a low, needy tone. "Now please just kiss me." She moaned out and directed his lips to hers. Her body took completely control now, and everything else was forgotten.

Nathan's hands took a hold of the hem of her tank top and slowly pulled it up and over her head when she lifted her body slightly off the bed. When he lowered himself on top of her again, he felt her bare chest against his own chest, and it spurred him on even more. It created an amazing friction when they moved over each other.

Haley's hands were slowly going down his back and under the waistband of his boxers until they stopped at his ass. He arched into her thigh as an involuntary reflex when she gently squeezed him. Haley could feel how hard he was against her thigh when he arched into her and smiled into his mouth. She kept her hands resting on his tiny, but perfect ass. She really had a thing for his ass. It was so firm and perfect and just begging her to touch it.

She shivered again when she felt Nathan move away from her mouth and started to kiss his way up and down her neck and nibble at her pulse point before soothing it out with his tongue. That was it, she needed him, and she needed him now. It had been an entire week, and she was needy and horny as hell. She had to press her legs together to form some sort of friction. As she did, she also grabbed the band of his boxer and pulled it down quick, and used her legs to guide it all the way down.

Nathan knew where she was going with this. And he wasn't complaining one second. He moved his hands down to her hip and dipped his fingertips under her shorts and panties and pulled them both off in a quick motion.

He got painfully hard as he moved his fingers to her center, and traced them up and down her folds, teasing her around the entrance. She was already so wet, all for him.

She whimpered under him when she felt him teasing her with his fingers. "Nathan…Please…" She breathed out.

"Impatient now, are we?" He mumbled and smiled against her right breast which he was working on with his tongue. His husky tone sent another jolt of fire through Haley, and she almost came then and there.

"Please Nathan…!." She moaned as he increased the pressure of his fingers.

Nathan didn't need more than that. He placed himself at her entrance and entered her with one hard thrust.

They both cried out in pleasure as they were joined together again. Nathan was unable to move right away, all the sensations firing through him by being connected to her like this again, overwhelmed him. But he loved it, and it gave him time to just feel Haley around him, to again have that familiar, amazing feeling of having her tight walls encapsulating him. It was the best feeling there ever was.

Haley loved how Nathan filled her completely, in every single way. She loved how he hit every spot within her whenever they were joined together so intimately. And the sensations only seemed to intensify for each time they were together.

Nathan started to move slowly at first, he leaned down and barley touched his lips at her upper lip. Their breaths were thick and heavy.  
>Haley felt a shiver shooting through her body as he glided in and out of her in the most torturous way. At the same time it was an overload of sensations in the most amazing way. Her shivers made Nathan's body shiver against her slick skin.<p>

He could feel the orgasm quickly build up, and he increased the pace a little. He lifted one of Haley's legs over his shoulder, which changed the position slightly, and gave an even better friction.

Haley was almost ready to explode, when she felt Nathan elevate her leg, an action that made him hit her even deeper and therefore finding new amazing spots within her that she didn't even know existed. It was only a few more thrusts from Nathan, and she had to let go of her tight coil that had built up amazingly quick.

Nathan kept on thrusting inside of her as he felt her come, her feminine muscles was clenching uncontrollably, and after another deep thrust he also came down, hard.

He stilled his movements as he emptied himself deep within her. After a few seconds he put her leg down and collapsed in the crook of her neck, still buried inside of her. There was something about being connected in this way, he loved the way she felt around him, even after their encounter. And he could stay like this all day if it was up to him.

Haley traced her hands up and down Nathan's slick back as he lay splashed on top of her. She loved the feeling of his weight on top of her, pushing her into the mattress. And she loved that he was still inside of her, already semi hard again after only a few seconds of catching his breath. She smiled into his neck and kissed him tenderly. This was perfect. Right now. This moment. Just the two of them.

"I love you." She whispered and left a wet kiss at the side of his neck, still tracing her fingertips up and down his back.

Nathan raised his head, resting his elbows on each side of her head. He looked into her brown, shiny eyes and gave her a soft smile. "I love you too Hales."

He was about to slide over to the side of her, when he felt her clench her muscles around him again. He let out a loud groan and kept his body hovering above her. "Fuck baby, you've got to give me a little more time. I'm only human…" He halfway joked.

Haley giggled and pulled his head down and kissed him. "Why, it does feel like someone's ready for round two. But was that not you?" She teased and rolled them over so she was now straddling him.

Nathan let out a deep guttural groan when she started to rotate her hips on top of him. It didn't take very long before it all gained momentum again, and as they were once again escaping into their own world of pleasure, Nathan's phone suddenly went off.

"Nooo…let it go to voicemail." Haley groaned into Nathan's mouth and pouted like a child.

Nathan chuckled of Haley's adorable face, and carefully lifted her off so he could reach his phone.

"I know baby, but I have to get this. It might be Jake calling about Peyton, you know." He reasoned.

"I know…it's just that I need you, Nathan." She said low and watched Nathan reach for his phone. "And I know that sound selfish, but it's just that I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, and I feel so much better when I'm with you. It's like there's nothing else but you and me, and I need that right now, I need to forget even if it's just for a moment." She tried to explain herself, trying to reason it without sounding like a terrible friend.

_And I'm still horny as hell_.

She thought and smiled to herself and bit down her lip. She didn't dare to say it out loud. She would never hear the end of it if she did.

"Sorry baby, just one second." Nathan said and answered his phone as he fell back on the pillow with his head. He took her hand and laced their fingers, so she would know that they weren't done with what they'd started.

"Hi, Jake! How's Peyton?" Nathan asked when he heard it was Jake in the other end.

Haley watched Nathan as he was talking on the phone. She looked down at their intertwined hands and felt her chest warm at the way he was rubbing his thumb over her knuckles subconsciously while he was on the phone. She saw that he turned his head and smiled at her when Jake did the talking. His eyes brightened up and he looked so beautiful.

"Sure, no problem buddy. See you later then." He then finished and ended the call.

Nathan threw the phone on the nightstand next to the bed, and turned to face Haley which was lying next to him on the bed, still no clothes or bed sheets on. He leaned in and kissed her deeply before he pulled back an inch and looked at her.

"So that was Jake." He started. "Peyton's awake, and it seems like she's doing fine. Everything taken into consideration of course."

Haley's reaction to Nathan's words was unmistakable. Her grin went from ear to ear and her eyes started to tear up.

"Oh, my God." She couldn't say anything else. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek and land on her pillow, and blinked right away trying to stop the others from falling.

"Hey, don't cry Hales." Nathan said and wiped her cheek with his thumb. He smiled carefully at her and lifted her chin to meet her eyes.

"These aren't sad tears, they're happy tears." She smiled back at him.

"That's good." He chuckled and pecked the tip of her nose.

Haley giggled in response.

"So, do you want to go and see her?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, I want to see her. But I think I want to wait till later. I have to work later tonight anyway, so I can just leave a bit earlier for work and hang out with Peyton till I start my shift." She replied and scooted closer to Nathan. "Right now I just want to lie here with you for a while, if that's okay?" She asked shyly and snuggled her head in the crook of his neck.

Nathan moved his hand down her arm and stopped when it came down to her hip. He kissed the top of her head before he pulled the sheet over the both of them with the other hand, and snuggled her tiny body further into his own. He didn't need to answer with words, his actions said it all.

They both lay close to each other, perfectly content about being in each other arms; nothing else mattered in that moment.

* * *

><p>A week went by, and Peyton was still at the hospital. Haley spent almost all of her time either at work or in Peyton's room, until she was basically 'kicked' out by the nurses or even Jake for that matter. She practically lived by Peyton's bedside.<p>

She was forever grateful that Peyton survived that accident. If she hadn't, Haley wasn't sure if she would've survived herself. She couldn't handle more tragedy in her life. And she couldn't lose another person she loved.

She still hadn't talked to Nathan yet about what happened, and she felt terrible about it. Yet somehow, she found it difficult to even approach the idea of telling him, because she didn't want to think about it at all. She just wanted it to go away. But the longer she waited, the worse Nathan's reaction could get, and she didn't want him to get mad at her for keeping this from him. That again, it wasn't her fault that _he_ kissed her? Or was it? No, she couldn't be the one to blame in this, she had no chance in knowing that he would just drag her into the room and attack her like that. But she knew how it must look for other people, especially when it's being hidden like this and then all of a sudden it comes out in the open.

She had walked around all week with this voice in the back of her head. This was also a reason why she spent most of her time with Peyton, she was kind of avoiding Nathan and the fact that she needed to talk to him about this. She just wasn't sure how to tell him. Or how to explain all of this to him. She knew Nathan was very understanding about everything, but she hadn't even told him about her previous relationship, or this realtionship in particular, and she was scared of how Nathan might react to the fact that she hadn't even mentioned him earlier. How would it look, when all of a sudden, this wasn't just a previous relationship she had to tell him about. It wasn't just a guy she used to date, but also a guy that had reappeared into her life again. A guy that walked around and forced her into rooms and kissed her against her will. He was very much a part of the present. And there was no way that this would end with a positive outcome. This looked bad. Really bad.

The day after the surgery, Nathan and Haley had gone to see Peyton before Haley had to work. They didn't talk much though, since Haley hadn't stopped crying the minute she stepped into her room and saw Peyton's broken form lying there. And it didn't help the matter that Peyton actually apologized to her for being the one who made Haley go through this again.

Haley couldn't believe that her friend could even think that. That she actually blamed herself for that asshole hitting her with his car. But the fact that she thought that just proved how selfless she was, how much she actually cared about Haley and wanted her to be okay and safe. She was more than a friend to Haley; Peyton was like a sister to her.

They were able to talk and catch up a lot this week, since all Peyton could do was lying in her bed. It was still too soon for her to start her training. She did, of course, small exercises while lying in bed, but that wasn't anything major.

Haley usually brought her magazines, chocolate, and food that she was unable to provide at the hospital. Peyton always joked about how nice it was that Haley was working there, because then she knew all the backdoors, so she could smuggle in everything she wanted and needed.

Of course Jake was there most of the time as well, since Nathan had given him as much time as he needed to be with Peyton. That meant more work for him and Vince of course, but Nathan didn't mind as long as Jake was able to spend some time with Peyton and help her out. It kept him away from Haley, but she was also working a lot lately and she spent almost all other available minutes with Peyton, so it wasn't like he would've seen her that much anyway. And besides, the amount of work always increased when it got closer to Thanksgiving and December, so he simply had to.

* * *

><p>"When are you leaving?" Lucas asked holding the phone between his shoulder and ear. He was sitting in his office going through Peyton's papers.<p>

"I'm leaving on Saturday." Nathan replied.

"Okay, but will you be back for next Thursday ?" He put the last document into a folder and stacked the folder in the column for 'S' in the file cabinet.

"I think so. But you never know. Around this time of year chaos can appear from no where."

Lucas raked his hand through his sandy blond hair and sat down in his chair.

"You kind of have to make it, Nate. First of all it's Thanksgiving, and second of all, Brooke is really making a big thing at our place, and she's very excited about it." He chuckled when he thought of how determined his wife could be when she got an idea. She basically put her entire soul into every little project she had going on. And this year it was Thanksgiving dinner she wanted to concur.

"Well, maybe I should stay longer on purpose then. I know how Brooke can get when it comes to stuff like this. She's a total psycho." Nathan joked.

"Hey, watch it! That's my wife you're talking about." Lucas said harsh. "However she actually does get kind of crazy around the holidays." He quickly added in a joking tone.

Nathan laughed in the other end.

"No, but seriously Luke. I'll try to make it. And I'm almost positive that I will. So don't worry." Nathan turned his car into the parking lot at the supermarket.

"But I'll see you on Friday before I leave, and I'm sure I know more accurate how my schedule will be by then." He added.

"Okay, that sounds good. We can talk more on Friday. Do you think you can bring some wine by the way?" Lucas asked.

"Of course, I was going to anyway." He smiled and walked into the store and grabbed a cart.

Lucas cleared his desk and packed the documents he wanted to take a look at back home into his briefcase.

"Thanks little brother. Talk to you later. Tell Haley I said hi."

"I will. Tell Brooke the same. See you in a couple of days Luke." They both said goodbye and ended the call.

* * *

><p>When Nathan got back home, he called out to check if Haley was there, in which she wasn't. But he'd expected that. He knew she was going to stop by Peyton again after work, and since it was only 6 pm, it would've been too early for her to be here either way.<p>

Over the last few days, or actually weeks, Haley had practically been living with Nathan in his house. She still had most of her stuff in her apartment, but she spent most of the time they had together with him. And he loved the idea of her moving in on a permanent basis, he just wasn't sure how to ask her or when to ask her about it. Up until now everything had been casual and easy. But Nathan felt like he wanted more. However he was going to wait till Peyton got out of the hospital and he knew that Haley was going to be okay too. He didn't want to burden her with more things on her mind, and besides, what if she didn't want to live with him? No. He quickly pushed that thought aside, because he was almost positive that she felt the same way, at least he hoped so.

Somehow he felt that she was being a little more distant lately. He couldn't really pinpoint it, but she had either been working or staying with Peyton, which he totally understood, of course. But he got the feeling that it wasn't just the Peyton thing that bothered her. He could see it in her eyes when she looked at him, and she tended to lay on her side of the bed instead of snuggling into his chest. And he knew how much she loved to cuddle, so there had to be something else besides Peyton that bothered her.

On the other hand, this accident did bring out the memories of her parents death, and it might just be that. Still he had this nagging thought that she might've lost interest in him, that she didn't love him anymore. He felt a sting in his chest every time that thought entered his mind, and tried to push it aside. She didn't push him away whenever he approached her or snuggled into her back when they were in bed, and wouldn't she resist him if that was the case?

He sighed out loud and dragged his hand through his hair. This got him nowhere, and he had to stop this flow of thoughts. They only made it worse.

If only Haley could come home soon. He needed to talk to her. He had given her all the space she needed this week, to let her deal with whatever she needed to deal with. But now he felt like she was somehow slipping away, and he had to get her to talk to him. He just didn't know how to proceed on this, he knew she was vulnerable and fragile, so he had to be careful about what he would say to her. He just wanted to understand what was going on with her, and he wanted her to let him in on what she was going through and what she was thinking. Even if that meant that she had to tell him that she didn't love him anymore, then at least he would know.

He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe and he felt the back of his eyes started to prick with tears. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm himself. This could not happen, he couldn't bare the thought of Haley not loving him anymore, that was simply not an option. He needed her in his life, there was no way that he could live without her now. He loved her more than anything.

But what if…?

The question lingered in his head as he sat at the bottom of the stairs in the hall, and he felt his chest tighten by the thought.

He suddenly snapped out of it, and got up. He couldn't think like this. It was probably just his own mind playing games with him, and he decided he needed to do something instead of sitting around and create his own problems. He slowly walked into the kitchen and checked the fridge to see if there was anything he could make dinner out of. He desperately needed to get his mind onto something else while he waited for Haley to come home from the hospital. However, he still couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling he'd now gotten, as the scariest thought ever, kept haunting him in the back of his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _Here you go guys. I wanted to get this one up today, since I'm not sure when I can get the next one out. I have an exam in less than 3 weeks, and it's a big one, so I kind of have to study for that. However, I will try to get some writing in whenever I feel I have time for it, and if you're lucky, the update might come sooner than later._

_But enough about that, so what do you think? Another week, and Haley is still hiding her past/present from Nathan. And now Nathan thinks she doesn't love him anymore. This could cause unnecessary complications, thanks to a total lack of communication, uh-oh..._

_Anyway, thank you again to all of you still reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting etc, it warms my heart! _


	10. Chapter 10

**AN**; _Here's another chapter for you. The longest one so far! For some reason, I suddenly got very inspired and didn't have much trouble finding the words for this one. Maybe I should've spent more time on this or maybe not. I know you've been dying to find out what will happen with Nathan and Haley, and whether they will finally talk to each other and sort things out. I guess you'll just have to read to get your answers, if there'll be any answers at all...? _

_Anyway, I'll shut up now, and let you to it. _

Disclaimer; I do not own anything.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

"Lucas, honey, is that you?" Brooke yelled from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me babe." He walked into the kitchen and placed a kiss on her cheek. "How was your day?"

"Ugh, it was stressful. It was back and forth meetings all morning." She whined as she checked the vegetables on the stove.

"Aw, I'm sorry sweetheart. I didn't see you at the office though; you were in meetings outside the office the entire day then?" Lucas asked and embraced her from behind.

She leaned into her husband's chest and felt good about his closeness.

"No, after my meetings I decided to work from home. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but my mind has been all over today." She put her hands over his hands that were resting on her stomach.

"Don't worry about it; the office was quiet today, so I had it all under control." He said and placed a soft kiss at her temple. "Where are the kids by the way?"

"Actually, Daniel is on a play date at Steven's house, I'm going to pick him up in a couple of hours. And Sarah is napping on the couch in the living room." Brooke smiled as she had turned around and was looking at Lucas.

"And I plan on letting her sleep until dinner is ready. She looks so adorable, sucking on her thumb." Brooke turned back to the stove to stir in one of the pots.

Lucas chuckled and went into the living room to check on his daughter. Brooke was right, she looked adorable. She was his little angel, which melted his heart every time he looked at her. It was pretty much the same way as it was with Brooke; she had indeed inherited that quality from her mother. He loved his girls so much, that it was impossible to put in words. He looked back into the kitchen and met Brooke's gaze, which was telling him that dinner was almost ready. So he slowly bent down and kissed Sarah's forehead.

"Hey baby girl, it's time to wake up." He whispered softly and caressed her soft cheek.

The little girl stirred a little and then her eyes fluttered open. She looked confused at first, but when she adjusted her eyes and then saw her father standing over her, she jumped right up into his arms and squealed.

"Daddy!"

Lucas laughed out loud when Sarah went from sleeping to being wide awake in about half a second.

"Are you hungry little squirt? Let's go see what mommy has made for us today, okay?" He walked towards the kitchen with a nodding 3 year old in his arms.

* * *

><p>"Did you talk to Nathan today?" Brooke asked after she'd swallowed her last bite.<p>

"Yeah, right before I left the office actually. He's leaving on Saturday, but he's gonna be back for Thanksgiving."

"Mommy, is uncle Nathan coming?" Sarah's eyes brightened up as she looked hopefully at her mother.

"Yes, he's coming, but not today sweetie."

"But when?" The little girls face fell.

"He's coming next week, together with Grandma and Grandpa." Lucas smiled at her and saw her face lit up again.

"Daddy, can I go play now?" She then asked.

He chuckled at his little girl and how she was able to change her mood and the subject entirely, only in a matter of seconds.

"Did you finish your vegetables?" He looked at her and raised one of his eyebrows.

"Yes I did. Tell him mommy!" She looked over at Brooke, terrified that Lucas wouldn't believe her.

Brooke laughed at looked over at Lucas and winked at him.

"Can't you see that she actually have finished her vegetables." She told him sternly, only to put on an act for Sarah's sake.

"See, mommy told you. So can I go now?" Sarah asked again.

"Okay, fine you can go and play." Lucas tried to hold back his laugh as Sarah jumped down from her chair and raced out of the kitchen.

"Thank you daddy." She yelled right before she was out of sight.

Brooke and Lucas both chuckled as they heard her little feet run up the stairs and into her room.

Brooke then got up and started to clear out the table. Closely followed by Lucas.

"Did he say anything about Haley, by the way? How's she doing?"

"Nah, he didn't say much, other than that she's mostly working and staying with Peyton. I think he's still worried about her. I mean, Peyton is very important to her, so I think she's been having a tough week." He said while he rinsed the plates under running water before he placed them into the dishwasher.

"I just hope she doesn't exhaust herself. The last time I saw her, earlier this week, she looked completely drained and even a little distant." Brooke expressed her worry for Haley. "I hope Nathan can help her realize that she also needs to rest. She should've taken some time off from work at least." She added.

"Yeah, I don't know. I got the impression that he haven't seen much of her this past week. But I'm sure she knows how to take care of herself. And Peyton was getting better, so I'm sure she'll stay home more from now on." Lucas reasoned.

She looked at Lucas and let out a sigh. "I hope you're right."

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling today?" Haley asked, sitting in the chair next to Peyton's bed shuffling through a magazine.<p>

"I don't know really. It goes up and down. But I'm sick and tired of this hospital bed!" Peyton pouted dramatically.

"I look forward to next week when I'm finally going home! And I actually look forward to starting my rehabilitation exercises, for real." Her pout disappeared and a small smile graced her face.

Haley smiled back at her friend.

"I'm glad to hear. I mean that you feel you're ready for the next step. And you know I'm here for you whenever!"

"Yeah, thank you Hales. You've been nothing but wonderful to me. I wouldn't have been this upbeat if it wasn't for you, you know." She smiled. "I love you best friend."

Haley felt her eyes tearing up, but blinked them quickly away. "I love you too Peyton." She got up and embraced her in a hug.

They both fell silent for a while, but it was a comfortable silence. Peyton was going through a script for an audition she wanted to go to, which was set in two weeks from now, so she thought she would be able to make it.

"Peyton?" Haley spoke up and broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay with everything else? I mean, Chase and the divorce?" She carefully asked and eyed her. She didn't want to upset her friend, but she also wanted to know whether she was really okay about it or if there still were times she had trouble coping with everything that had happened. She also knew that things were good with Jake, but she still thought she could see it in her sometimes, a kind of sadness or anger or something.

"…"

Haley tried to read off of her expression, she was afraid she might have done the wrong thing by going into this again.

"But if you don't want to talk about it, I guess its okay. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She said low after a moment of silence.

"No Haley, its okay." Peyton assured her, when she realized she hadn't said anything for a while.

"I'm actually doing fine, I am. I think I've managed to finally put everything with Chase behind me. It took a while, and I was angry and hurt for a long time, but I think that's all gone now." She looked intently at Haley to make sure she understood she was being sincere.

"But I have to give a lot of credit to Jake though." A smile graced her face. "He has been a God send, really." She added.

A big smile formed in Haley's face. It made her so happy to know that Peyton was fine, and more importantly that her and Jake was doing well.

"I'm happy for you and Jake, Peyton. He really is a wonderful guy. You deserve someone like him, I'm so glad I set you guys up." She grinned and winked at her.

Peyton giggled. "I'm glad you did as well." She winked back.

"But seriously, I'm really happy that you're finally done with the whole Chase mess, and that you have a good guy now, like Jake. It seems like everything is turning around for you now, apart from this accident of course." She made a small frown. "And soon you'll get a good gig as well, I'm sure of it!" Haley said and turned her frown back into a smile.

"You really are the best friend anyone could ask for Hales. And besides, I'm not the only one who found a great guy. Nathan is nothing but amazing. I mean just look at how he let you spend almost everyday here with me. That has got to mean something, right?" Peyton smiled.

Haley faked a smile at her. "Mmm, yeah I guess we're both pretty lucky." She said and suddenly felt uneasy.

She hadn't exactly been the best girlfriend this last week, but he had assured her that he understood that she needed to spend time with Peyton. In which she also really did. She had been so terrified when she found Peyton in that car wreck, and every single thought about the worst possible outcome had flashed through her mind. At that moment, she'd been sure that she would lose Peyton, and she wasn't sure if she could've handled that. Not to mention the old memories of her parents also came back, hitting her hard. The anxiety about it all still wasn't completely gone, but at least she knew now that Peyton wouldn't leave her like her parents did. Then there was her ex of course, that was the other reason for her staying with Peyton and avoiding going home to Nathan. He only added to the emotional stress she was already going through, and her protective bubble once again appeared, faster than it ever had. It made her insecure about herself again, and she kept telling herself that Nathan would probably never look at her the same way ever again, once she told him. He had been so supportive and understanding when she told him about her parents and that she had trouble letting people in. But there had to be a limit for him as well, right? There was no way that he could forgive her for this, for holding back and not telling him right away. If only she would have told him sooner.

Haley felt her stomach twist and turn as a wave of nausea suddenly went through her.

Peyton noticed the sudden change in her friend, as she became awfully quiet and her face turned pale.

"Haley? What's wrong?" She asked carefully.

Haley looked up at Peyton and forced a small smile at her.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine. I was just thinking about Nathan." She tried to make it sound believable.

"Haley. It's me you're talking to, I know you. You can't fool me. Please talk to me." She started to get worried when she saw Haley's eyes slowly fill with tears.

"Please Haley, you're starting to scare me now. You know you can tell me anything." She took a hold of Haley's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Haley shook her head and blinked her eyes a couple of times to stop the tears from falling. She then looked back at Peyton and bit her lip when she felt it started to quiver.

"I don't want to burden you, Peyton. You have enough going on as it alre…" She started, but got cut off by Peyton.

"No-uh. Don't you even dare to think that you are a burden to me. If anything, I am a burden to you, Haley! I wish with all my heart that you didn't have to go through this scare, but it happened and there's nothing we can do about it now. I'm going to be fine, trust me, unless you won't let me help you by starting to talk to me. No matter what it is, I will always be here for you, I hope you know that. I kind of love you, you nerd. So please talk." Peyton sent her a smile and squeezed her hand again.

A single tear fell down Haley's cheek and she was forced to let out a tiny laugh at the end of Peyton's speech. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and took a deep breath, before she looked at Peyton again.

"I don't even know where to start Peyton. I'm afraid I've screwed things up with Nathan, or that I'm about to screw it up." She spoke low.

"What are you talking about? The two of you are so in love that it's almost disgusting for the rest of us to watch, so I don't believe that for a second."

"Please just let me explain first, trust me, there's more to it." She smiled halfway when she thought about Peyton's comment about her and Nathan. They weren't that bad, were they? She quickly shook it off, she could discuss that one later, but now she had to continue this before she chickened out and took the highroad like she usually did nowadays.

"First of all, you know that I told him about my parents and everything that came following that. I mean the way I closed myself off to others and never really let anyone in. And how understanding and wonderful he has been about everything, he always puts me and my needs first, and I truly love him for that. That man is the best thing that have ever happened to me, Peyton. Apart from you, of course. And when this accident happened I couldn't not be here for you, so that's why I've been spending most of my time with you, when I'm not at work." She paused for a second to take another deep breath before she continued.

"At least that's what he thinks. But I've also kind of been avoiding him this last week, since the day of your accident. What I haven't told you, is that something else also happened that day, right before I left work." She broke Peyton's gaze and looked down at her hands that was resting in her lap.

"Haley?" Peyton asked, when she didn't continue.

Haley closed her eyes and everything flashed through her mind again. "_He's_ back Peyton." Her voice came out barley over a whisper.

"What? Who's back?" Peyton looked questionably at Haley, before it suddenly entered her mind. "Wait, _he_ is back! What the hell did he do to you?" Peyton felt her anger started to boil within her.

Haley only nodded while tears were pushing hard behind her eyes and threatening to spill out.

"He, umm…when I was leaving the locker room, I bumped into someone that came in from the lounge. And before I could register who it was, or even apologize for bumping into this person, I was dragged back into the locker room and pushed against the wall. Then he started to kiss me." She shuddered by reliving it as she told Peyton about it. Tears had now started to roll down her cheeks, there was no way to stop them.

"Oh my God, Haley!" Peyton tried to shift position in the bed to get closer to Haley, but she had very limited movements because of her leg, so she reached out and grabbed her hand again and squeezed it hard.

"What happened after that? Did he do more than that? Did he hurt you? I swear to God, if he did…"

"No!" Haley bursted out. "God, no. I managed to push him off of me the second I were able to register what was going on." She met Peyton's fury eyes and looked intently at her to make sure she understood that he didn't physically hurt her.

"I promise you Peyton, he didn't get the chance to touch me again. I slapped him real good when he tried to reach after me again, and then I stormed out of there."

"That's my girl!" Peyton exclaimed and broke into a big smile. "I'm so proud of you. But I don't really see why this could screw things up with Nathan. And why are you avoiding him? Because of this? It's not your fault that he attacked you like that. Nathan will understand. If anything, he probably want to take the next spot in the line behind to me, to kick the living shit out of his sorry ass."

"The problem is that I haven't told Nathan about him at all. As in he doesn't know he exist. And this is where the whole avoiding part comes in. Because I don't know how to tell him or if I even should tell him about this." She paused and blinked her teary eyes once.

"No, I should tell him. I know that, I have to because my conscious is eating me alive right now. I feel like I don't even deserve to be with Nathan because I'm hiding this from him. And he probably won't love me anymore after I tell him the entire story. What should I do?" Her head fell down on the bed next to Peyton as she started to cry uncontrollably.

Peyton just stroked the back of her head and let her cry for a minute. She needed to let it all out before they could continue this. It broke her heart to see Haley like this. And it broke her heart when she realized that Haley still couldn't open herself up completely to Nathan and trust him. And more importantly, trust in the love she knew he held for her. Because she knew that Nathan was too good of a guy to simply turn his back on Haley over something like this. It wasn't her fault for being mistreated and abused like this. So she was pretty sure that if only Haley would explain it all to Nathan, then he would understand.

"Haley?" Peyton carefully spoke her name, as she heard her cries finally starting to subside into small sobs.

Haley raised her head and looked at Peyton with sad, red, puffy eyes and tear streaked cheeks. She brushed the tears away with her hand and sniffled.

"Listen to me." She caught her gaze and looked at her intently with a serious expression.

"You _need_ to tell Nathan. About everything. Okay? I know it's hard and I know it's difficult to go through all of this again. But it's not really working for you the way you're trying deal with it now, does it?"

Haley shook her head in silence as she listened to Peyton.

"Avoiding him is not the answer, it will only make things worse. You said so yourself, it's eating you alive. Besides, Nathan loves you way too much for him to just turn his back on you. Even though this is something that you held back with intention. I don't think it will matter in the long haul anyway. And if it turns out that _he's_ still gonna keep making appearances, you will definitely need Nathan's support. You cannot deal with this alone Haley."

"I know." Haley sighed. "It's just that I feel embarrassed about it, you know. And Nathan's gonna get mad at me because I didn't mention it sooner, especially now when he's back in my life again."

Peyton let out a silent sigh. "Haley, you need to have a little faith in him. You have to trust him. You know that he loves you, right?"

"Yes…" The answer was barley audible.

"He might be a little upset right away, but I have no doubt in my mind that he'll get over the initial shock of finding out, and support you and be there for you. He would never stop loving you because of this! Trust me, Jake have told me about the conversations he and Nathan's been having about you. And there's no mistake in what that man feels about you." She squeezed her hand.

Haley felt a slight stirring in her chest while she listened to Peyton. She did believe her, and she believed that Nathan did love her. Still it was her own insecurities and her low self esteem, that made her doubt herself, not Nathan. But somehow she felt a little lighter now that she at least had gotten the courage to tell Peyton about it, instead of bottling it up inside of herself and let her dark and twisting thoughts destroy her completely. It felt good to finally talk to someone about this. And she knew she could always count on Peyton.

She smiled sadly back at Peyton. "You know me so well, and you always know what to tell me to make me feel better. Do you have any idea of how much I love you, best friend?"

Peyton smiled in response and pulled her in for a hug. "You better love me, after I helped you realize what a tool you're being and saving your relationship with Nathan." She chuckled, still hugging Haley.

Haley let out a laugh and pulled out of the embrace.

"Yeah, well this was the easy part. I still have that conversation left that could rather end up killing my relationship instead of saving it, you know." She looked down and pulled her lip between her teeth.

Peyton lightly smacked her arm. "Stop with the crazy talk girl. And get your ass home to Nathan instead. And promise me that you'll tell him now, about everything, okay! Don't leave anything behind. And explain to him why you didn't tell him sooner, I'm sure he'll understand once you do." She waited for Haley to look back up at her.

"That man is head over heels in love with you, so you can stop with your stupid insecurity and be the Haley I know you can be. And be the Haley you deserve to be." She smiled at her when Haley finally raised her head again.

"And about the douche. Don't worry, I'll help you deal with him, if he actually shows up again. Just don't hide anything anymore, do you hear me?"

Haley smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I promise I'll try to tell him now." She felt her heart thump loudly by thinking about the inevitable conversation that was waiting her, once she got back home to Nathan.

"And I won't hide anything from you anymore, or Nathan, once I've told him. But I really hope he won't show up again, ever."

"Well then, if he does decide to come back one more time, I promise you; it'll be the last time. Cause after I've talked to him, he wouldn't dare to show his sorry excuse of an ass here, ever again." Peyton winked and managed to get another soft laugh out of Haley.

Haley took a deep breath and then got up from the chair.

"Thank you Peyton. For this, for being such a good friend. I don't know what I would've done without you." She picked up her bag from the floor next to the chair she'd been sitting in and looked back at Peyton.

"Anytime sweetie. You know I'm always here for you."

Haley gave Peyton another hug before she turned around and walked slowly towards the door. When she had her hand on the doorknob, she turned her head one more time and smiled.

"Wish me luck." She sighed and felt the nerves slowly shoot through her entire body, making her slightly nauseas again.

"Love you nerd. You'll be fine." Peyton smiled from the bed.

"Love you too, curly." Haley paused and took another deep breath, before she opened the door and left.

* * *

><p>Nathan was in the kitchen when he heard the front door slam shut. His heart immediately started to race, knowing that it was his gorgeous girlfriend. He missed her. But he also couldn't hold back the wave of nerves that went through him, knowing that he had to talk to her about the way he felt. He was terrified for the outcome of this conversation, but he needed to get her to talk to him now. It couldn't wait any longer. He needed to know what was going on.<p>

He was just flipping the chicken breast in the pan when he heard her entering the kitchen. He put on a smile and turned his head in her direction.

"Hey, you're home. How is Peyton?" He couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked. She had her hair down today. Her dark, soft curls was cascading across her shoulders, giving a nice contrast to the white top she was wearing. He cast a glance down to check out her ass when she walked past him and around the counter to stand opposite of him.

He felt a tiny sting of pain in his chest when she didn't come over to him, and instead walked past him. He noticed the expression in her face, and he could swear that it looked like she'd just been crying. He desperately wanted to go over to her and hold her in his arms, but he contained himself, being too afraid that she would dismiss him. And besides, he had to watch the food on the stove, so it didn't burn.

"Hi…" Haley spoke low, and took in the sight of Nathan standing in front of the stove making dinner. She wanted so bad to go over to him and give him a hug, but she was too scared that he would see right through her and figure out that something was wrong, so she walked past him and around the kitchen counter. Again she kept her distance, like she'd done over the past week.

"Peyton is doing much better. She's excited about getting released from the hospital over the weekend. Not that I blame her. I think I would've gone crazy too, if I had to stay in that bed all day." She continued and stared intently at Nathan's face as he turned around and focused on the food again. He looked different somehow. He was awfully quiet and he looked sad in a way. Her mind started to work on high gear, and she felt uneasy by every single thought that went through her mind. What if Nathan knew something was going on with her? She started to feel slightly panicked and her mouth dried up in an instant. She went around the counter to get herself a glass of water, to give herself more time. She didn't know what to say and she certainly didn't know how to start this conversation, or when. There was no perfect time for her to start up something like this.

She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and went over to the cupboard, next to Nathan, to reach for a glass. She was so close to him now that she could smell his cologne. She placed the glass on the counter in front of her and started to pour water into it, not daring to look over at Nathan, that was only a few centimeters away from her. Her hand was shaking and she felt herself getting dizzy by all the mixed emotions running through her. But most of all the weird silence they had going on was almost killing her.

She heard Nathan turn off the fan above the stove and move the frying pan off the plate. She still kept her gaze focused on the glass she was clenching hard, to keep her hands from shaking. Haley almost jumped out of her own skin when she felt Nathan take a hold of her around her waist from behind. Her heart rate increased ten-fold when he nuzzled his nose into her hair on the side of her neck.

"I'm glad to hear that Peyton is doing better." He whispered into her hair.

Nathan had watched Haley when she walked up next to him to get herself that glass of water, and having her so close to him without touching her was hard. In addition to her presence, her scent was intoxicating, and he knew that he had to be the one to take the first step. He took a hold of her around her waist and felt her body stiffen by the contact. He tried to ignore it, and squeezed her tighter as he nuzzled his nose into her hair. He inwardly let out a sigh of relief when he felt her relax into him after a few seconds.

"I've missed you today." He said honestly, his voice was still low.

Haley was still clenching the glass in front of her, but slowly she started to relax by having his strong arms around her again, and leaned back into his chest and closed her eyes shut. She felt tingles at the side of her neck where Nathan's breath hit her. It felt so good to be held like this, she felt so safe. And for several moments she just stood there and let the feeling of being this close to him take over. The closeness made her feel stronger, but also weak at the same time. This man owned every fiber of her heart, and it pained her to think about what she was about to do to him.

She decided to push the thought aside, just for another moment. She let go of the glass and carefully palmed his hands that was resting on her stomach, her thumb caressing his knuckles. She turned her head so that her cheek rested on his chest, right above his loudly, thumping heart. She didn't want to let go of him, and she didn't want him to let go of her. She wanted to freeze this moment and stay like this forever.

"I've missed you too." She whispered truthfully, so low that she didn't even think he could hear her. But she realized he had, when he broke free one of his hands and graced it through her hair, pushed it aside and put it behind her ear. She let out an audible breath when he kissed the side of her neck.

Haley intertwined her fingers with his hand that was still under hers on her stomach and squeezed it hard.

"Are you hungry? I think we should eat before it gets cold." Nathan said, not feeling hungry at all, but he couldn't start up the conversation just yet. He needed more time, and here he had the perfect excuse to postpone it.

Haley opened her eyes by the sound of his voice, and felt disappointed by his question, but a little relieved at the same time, because she needed more time to figure out what to say. She was still kind of nauseas, so food was the last thing on her mind, but she knew she had to try and eat something. Besides he'd been making her dinner, the sweet guy that he was, and she didn't have the heart to turn him down. That would only increase his suspicions, if he had any that was.

She tilted her head so that she could finally meet his eyes. She forced a smile at him when she looked into those beautiful, blue eyes of his, and felt her knees go weak. They always did whenever she met his eyes.

"I'd love to." She answered him and held his gaze. Glad that he was still holding her, otherwise she would've been in a puddle on the floor.

Haley felt her heart skip a beat when Nathan leaned in and gently graced her lips with his own. Her eyes snapped shut the same second she felt his lips connect with hers, and the tingles she felt from his lips went all the way down to her toes, and then fired back up again and made her all hazy.

Nathan palmed her cheek and caressed her cheekbone with his thumb as he pulled back a few inches. He still hovered close to her face and looked at her beautiful features. Her eyes were still closed and her lips were slightly parted after their short kiss. He stopped for a second, just to remember this moment. He didn't want it to end, but there was also no point in dragging things out more than necessary. He quickly placed a soft kiss on her forehead and started to turn her around and lead her over to the table on the other side of the kitchen counter, where he had placed out the plates earlier.

"Come on, sit down and relax. I'll take care of the rest." He said and pulled out the chair for her.

Haley sat down gently, her hand was still clasped in his as he had directed her over to the table.

"Thank you." She smiled up at him and he smiled back.

Neither of them let go of their hands as they held each others gazes for several seconds. Both of them unaware that the other was thinking the same. About the dreadful conversation they both wanted to have with each other, once the food was consumed.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>"Did you talk to Nathan today about Friday?" Brooke yelled from the laundry room.<p>

She was amazed of how much laundry that piled up after only one day.

_I guess that's the beauty of having children playing in the dirt in the kindergarten, and a husband unable to put the food into his mouth_.

Brooke laughed to herself and was lost in her own world thinking about how clumsy he was sometimes, when Lucas came and leaned on the doorframe and quietly watched his wife with her head almost inside the dryer. A huge smirk appeared on Lucas' face when he saw her perfect ass practically begging him to touch it, as it was pointing straight up when Brooke bent down to get more clothes. He licked his lips and were unable to contain the small groan emitting his mouth as he continued to stare at her perfect ass.

Brooke jumped at Lucas' groan and hit her head in the door of the dryer.

"Oh, my God you scared me!" Her heart was almost jumping up in her throat. She rubbed the side of her head that had hit the dryer and pouted.

"Ouch…"

Lucas couldn't help but laugh at her beautiful, pouting face. Even though she hit her head, it looked hilarious when she almost jumped out of her own skin.

"Aw, I'm sorry sweetie. Here let me see." He walked over to her, still chuckling and looked at her head.

He softly blew on her tiny bump that had already formed and placed a gentle kiss on top of it.

"There's a small bump, but you'll be fine." He said still chuckling.

"And yes, I talked to Nate about Friday." He smiled down at her. He tried to stifle another laugh when he saw she was still pouting like a little baby.

"It's not funny. It's kind of embarrassing getting injured in the laundry room you know. And it's your fault." Her pout was getting even bigger.

"Aw, come here pretty girl." Lucas said and pulled her in, trying to kiss her pout away.

"I promise I'll nurse you later tonight after the kids have gone to bed." He placed another kiss on her lips which seemed to ease her up a bit when he got a tiny smile from her in response.

"What about right now?" She said seductively and raised her eyebrow.

Lucas let out another groan as Brooke snaked her hands up his chest and rested them at his shoulders.

"You know I would love to tend to you right here, on top of the dryer…while it's running." He winked at her. "But I really have to go through a few more files before tomorrow. I'll make it up to you later though." He tried not to sound to dismissive.

Brooke pulled down his head and crashed her lips on his in a hunger filled kiss. Lucas's lips separating the second her tongue traced them and their tongues met in a tangling battle.

Lucas felt himself getting lost in his wife's talented seduction. He lost even more control when he heard her moan deeply into his mouth when he gripped her hips firmly and pressed her against his own body.

Lucas suddenly snapped back to reality and pulled back slightly when air also became an issue.

"I'm sorry babe…" He was panting heavily, still holding her hips firmly.

"I have to finish these files before my morning meeting, it's kind of important. But you have no idea how I much I wish it wasn't." He looked at her with hunger filled eyes.

Brooke caught her breath and slowly licked her lips still trying to change Lucas' mind, even though she knew and understood that he had work to do. But she needed to have her fun, and she loved to watch him squirm a little.

"Well if you have to…" She said and pulled at his shirt and kissed him deeply one more time, before she turned around and continued putting the clothes into the dryer. And of course wiggling her hips for extra attention as she did.

She heard Lucas slowly turn away and groan out loud, and she tried to stifle her laugh as he walked away. She knew very well what was going to happen later tonight, she knew her husband, and there was no way he would forget about this until he got his. She felt herself getting excited and smiled happily to herself by the anticipation of what tonight would bring.

* * *

><p>Haley was standing in the living room staring out the window looking over the backyard. After dinner, Nathan had refused her to help cleaning up, and told her to go into the living room and relax. She was kind of glad that he did, because she needed some time to herself, to collect all of her thoughts before she could talk to him.<p>

The dinner had been somewhat awkward. They had managed to small talk a little, but it consisted mostly about Peyton and their respective days at work. They were both dodging the big elephant in the room, and as time went on, the elephant only grew bigger and bigger.

At least she had been able to eat some of the food without getting more nauseas than she already was. She was a complete mess inside and she struggled with the same circle of thoughts that kept playing over and over.

She was so lost in her own world that she didn't hear Nathan quietly enter the living room and walking up next to her. She jumped a little when he spoke.

"Here, I thought you'd like a glass." He said holding out a glass of white wine.

Her heart was beating fast when she turned her head and looked down at the glass in his hand.

"Thank you." She accepted the glass and quickly took a small sip. Maybe this is what she needed to get enough courage to talk to him?

Nathan watched Haley taking a sip of her wine, and took a sip of his own from the beer he'd gotten himself. He definitely needed some alcohol to boost himself for what he was about to do. He really dreaded this, and for each second that passed, the more nervous he got. He tried to read off of her expressions, but there was nothing there, except the distant looks she gave him now and then. She was still accepting him and the small gestures he made towards her now and then, but he felt that she wasn't really here with him. Her mind was miles away, and that worried him to no end. What if she had met another guy and was only staying with him until she found a way to let him down easy? The thought made it hard to breathe, and he had to turn away from her. He walked over to the couch and sat down in the middle of it and put his feet up on the coffee table. He glanced around and saw that Haley had lit a few candles that were scattered around, some on the table by the end of the couch and a few on top of the shelf over the fireplace.

He smiled to himself. He loved how Haley's feminine touch in his house had made it so nice and homey. He would never think of lighting candles around the living room like this, but he loved the atmosphere they brought into his home, and he loved that it was Haley who were responsible for doing so. He turned his head and saw that Haley was still standing in front of the window, looking out in a distance.

"Hales…?" He watched her as he spoke her name. She didn't respond, but after a few seconds she turned around and looked at him.

She took a deep breath and walked over to where Nathan was sitting. This was it. She sat down at the end of the couch to keep a little distance, but it wasn't much since he was sitting in the middle of it. She turned around so that she could face him and pulled one of her legs underneath her while the other one hung loosely over the edge. She took another sip of her wine, in order to buy herself some more time and watched as Nathan also turned slightly in his seat to face her more.

Her knee was almost touching his thigh after he'd repositioned himself and he carefully put his hand at her knee with his palm facing up. Giving her a silent invitation to take a hold of his hand.

Haley looked down when he made the contact and hesitated for a second before she gently took a hold of his warm hand. Nathan enclosed her small one in his larger hand and gave her a small smile.

Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but were unable to form any words.

What the hell was he supposed to say to her? He just wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, and forget about the whole thing. But he needed to know what was going on with her. If he was about to get dumped, then he might as well get it over with. He took a big gulp of his beer and rested the bottle on his thigh. He let the fluid wash down his throat and took a deep breath once he'd swallowed.

"Baby, are you okay?" He started and turned his head to look at her. He felt the uneasiness and fear, of what she would say to him, shoot through him like fire.

Haley looked down at their connected hands that were resting on her knee, before she looked back up and met his worried, blue eyes.

"Nathan…" She whispered and bit her lip.

Why was this so hard? It shouldn't be hard at all. She should be able to talk to him and tell him without feeling like this. He hadn't done anything to her, that would make her doubt him or think that he wouldn't be just as supportive about this, like he was with her parents. She was so lucky to not only have him, but she knew that he loved her too. He was always so caring and attentive to her, and it ached her heart that she might be the reason for him to ending up being mad at her, or even worse; hating her. She closed her eyes and remembered the words Peyton had told earlier. They helped her racing mind to calm down a little, and she opened her eyes again only to meet Nathan's intense gaze. She swallowed hard and felt tears starting to prick in her eyes, even before she had started to talk.

"I…umm, I have to tell you something, Nathan…" She saw Nathan shift uncomfortably in his seat and his eyes showed a whirlpool of emotions. A silent tear slowly escaped the edge of her eye and she could feel her heart in the back of her throat.

Nathan felt the panic take control. Did he really want to hear what she was about to tell him? No, he didn't. He didn't want to lose Haley. He wanted her to still love him and love him forever, like he loved her. He felt his stomach twist and his chest tightened. He couldn't live without her. He was too committed to her, she was the reason for him to live and breathe, and the thought of her leaving him now, was shooting an excruciating pain throughout his entire body. He felt like the walls of the living room started to close in, and he couldn't breathe. He clenched his hand around the beer bottle so hard that he was surprised it didn't break.

"Please Haley, don't…just don't say anything…" He choked out, looking at her with desperation.

Haley looked questionably at Nathan, and got confused by the desperation in his voice. What the hell was he talking about? Why didn't he want to hear her out?

"Nathan…I don't…" She started but Nathan cut her off.

"No, Haley please don't do this." His eyes sent her a pleading look as they slowly filled with tears.

Haley got even more confused when he cut her off again and saw his eyes fill with tears. Did he already know what she was about to tell him? No, that couldn't be. There was no way he could already know about this. She turned around and placed her glass down at the side table at the end of the couch, before she turned back to Nathan. She lifted their hands and placed her free hand under his hand, so that she was enclosing his with both of her hands. She rested them back in her lap and gently squeezed them together.

She hesitated for a second before she spoke.

"Nathan? What's going on?"

Nathan looked away from her and started to fiddle with the tag on the beer bottle he held in his hand. He suddenly felt very dry in his mouth, so he quickly took a long sip of the bottle and placed it down at the coffee table in front of him, once he was done.

Haley observed him as he drank out of the bottle and put it away. He shifted in the couch and she could see that he was trying to make himself comfortable, without any luck. He blinked a couple of times to prevent the tears from falling and looked down at their hands in Haley's lap.

"I…umm…." The words got stuck at the back of his tongue, and the anxiety he felt dried up his mouth in a matter of seconds. That last chug of beer didn't help him much. He closed his mouth and waited a few seconds, before he finally dared to look back at Haley.

"I don't want to lose you Haley…I just can't…" The tears were pressing hard behind his eyes. "…live without you." He choked out and felt a single tear roll down his cheek as he saw Haley's own eyes shine back at him with her own pool of tears.

She felt her eyes burn and her breath got caught in the back of her throat. Here she was, worried about telling him about her ass of an ex, and scared like hell that he would hate her after she'd finished telling him everything. But then he thinks that she's going to leave him? Why would he think that?

"Nathan…? What are you talking about?"

"It's okay, I mean…I understand if you don't love me anymore. Love fades sometimes…" He broke her gaze and looked down.

"I guess I've known for a while, but I've refused to accept it. I've noticed that you've been distant lately, and at first it was okay, because I was giving you time with Peyton." He paused and looked back into her eyes.

"But even after she'd gotten better, you still wouldn't really be here with me, unless I made the first move. And even then, you were still hesitant to me holding you or kissing you…" He could barley see Haley now through the pool of tears that continued to fill up his eyes and run down his cheeks. He quickly wiped his face with the back of his hand.

Haley felt heartbroken by Nathan's confession. Had she really been that distant? Yes, she had avoided him, she couldn't deny that. But she had no idea that her behavior towards him had been so dismissive and cold, that he would think that she didn't love him anymore.

She looked at him through her tear-filled eyes and saw that his own eyes and face were all wet with tears. She scooted closer to him and lifted his hand close to her chest.

"Nathan…I would never…" A loud sob escaped her throat and choked down her words.

"I cannot even begin to say how sorry I am. I'm so sorry that you would think this. That I made you think that I don't love you anymore, because I do. Nathan. I love you so much, you have no idea." Her lower lip started to quiver, so she bit down on it with her teeth to make it stop. They were both crying now.

Nathan was unable to speak. He listened to Haley as she spoke in between her sobs. She had told him that she still loved him, and that took some of the weight away from his chest. But the pain and the hurt still wouldn't completely go away. He was sure there was more, so he started to cry harder. At this point he didn't care if he embarrassed himself in front of her and cried. There was no way of controlling it, when it came to his emotions and feelings towards this woman. He would always be vulnerable with her. And now, all the things he'd bottled up inside of him, came pouring out.

Haley tugged lightly on his hand to get his attention when she saw that his mind was far away.

"Nathan, don't think for a second that I don't love you, okay? I know that I've been distant and cold towards you lately. And that was partly because of what happened to Peyton, but there's also another reason for me behaving like this…" She swallowed and blinked her eyes hard.

"And trust me when I say, that it got nothing to do with you. It's not your fault Nathan." She looked at him intently and wanted him to acknowledge that he was with her when she talked. She didn't want him to still think that any of this was his fault, or that it was because she didn't love him. She needed him to realize that before she could continue and tell him about everything.

He blinked his eyes once and met her eyes again when he opened them.

"I don't…umm…so you're not going to leave me?" His mind was still racing with a thousand thoughts. He was confused.

"I'm not going anywhere. Listen to me, Nathan. I. Love. You. I'm in love with you." She spoke clearly.

When she saw another bash of tears fall from the edge of his eyes, she leaned over and kissed him. It was soft and tender. She could feel the salty taste on his lips, which was probably a mix from both his and her own tears. The kiss was filled with so many emotions. She pulled back and kept lingering in front of his face, so that she could still feel his breath on her lips.

"I love you, Nathan." She whispered as she was already leaning in again to give him another kiss.

This time she could feel Nathan respond to her kiss, which made her smile against his lips. That could only mean that he'd now been able to process what she'd been telling him, and that he really believed her.

Nathan was slowly registering what Haley was saying, and when she kissed him that second time, he felt everything. His heart was about to explode of happiness and relief, and her soft lips only heightened his already overemotional state. He felt her smile against his lips once he responded to her. He then deepened the kiss when he felt she was about to pull away. He needed this to last for a little while longer, it had been too long since they've had such an intimate moment together.

"God, I love you so much, Haley." He mumbled against her lips before he pulled back.

His chest felt a million times lighter now, and that kiss made him forget about everything, and she made him feel amazing. She was amazing. But looking back at Haley again, he was pulled back into reality and remembered that they weren't finished with their conversation.

Haley smiled at him and felt lighter somehow. She was glad that they were able to fix this misunderstanding, by actually talking to each other instead of keeping it all bottled up, like they both had obviously been doing this last week. She still needed to finish her side of the conversation, and really dreaded it. But after they'd both had an emotional breakdown, and were able to get through it without complicating it any further, she felt much stronger and more confident that this would also work itself out. If only she could tell it right, and not leave anything out, so that Nathan wouldn't misunderstand anything or get the wrong impression.

"Nathan…" She started to talk, but got interrupted by Nathan's phone ringing loudly in the kitchen.

"Fuck." Nathan groaned when he recognized the ring tone. "I'm sorry, but I have to take that." He got up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen.

Haley heard Nathan talk to the person on the phone. It sounded like it was work stuff, so she quickly tuned it out. She turned around and took a sip from her wine glass while she waited for Nathan to finish and come back. It took a few more minutes before she heard him getting quiet.

She started to get a little worried when he didn't return right away. Had something happened? Did he have to leave for work right now? Maybe it was an emergency that he couldn't say no to? She emptied her glass and placed it down at the coffee table next to Nathan's empty beer bottle. She was just about to get up, when she saw Nathan's tall figure slowly emerging from the kitchen, carrying two bowls.

She raised her eyebrow at him and silently asked him what he was doing.

He sat down close to her in the couch and handed her one of the bowls with a smile on his face.

"I saw these earlier today when I was grocery shopping, and I know how much you love strawberries. So I bought them and thought we could have them for dessert with vanilla ice cream."

Haley was stunned and her heart melted completely by this man. If he wasn't already in possession of every little fiber of her heart, he definitely was now. Earlier today, he'd been walking around thinking that she didn't love him anymore, yet still he'd bought her strawberries, simply because he knew how much she loves them. That only proved how much he loved her, and that he would always think of her, first and only. This touched Haley so much, that she started to tear up again.

"Thank you baby. I can't believe you would remember that. I think I've only told you once about my love for strawberries. And that was right after our first date or something. Wasn't it?" She smiled at him.

"Yes, that would be correct. I remember we were lying in bed the day after I took you out for dinner. You had just done some pretty dirty things to me, when you suddenly told me you wanted strawberries and how much you loved them." He smirked at her.

Haley gasped and smacked his arm.

"I did not." She bit her lip and looked down for a second when she felt her face turning red. It turned even redder, when the memory came back to her and she remembered the whole thing. And what she'd been doing to him was way past PG-13. She still couldn't help but get embarrassed when they talked about it, and especially when Nathan teased her about it.

She heard Nathan chuckle lightly, and she couldn't help but think how much she loved his laugh. It had been too long since she'd heard his laughter, and that was all thanks to herself.

She then took a spoonful of ice cream with a strawberry on top and shoved it into her mouth. She was unable to contain the loud moan escaping her when she felt the taste of strawberries mixed with the taste of vanilla in her mouth.

"So good!"

Nathan chuckled again before he took a spoonful himself.

"Do I need to worry about you might loving that bowl of ice cream and strawberries, more than you love me?" He teased her when she kept on moaning while she practically attacked her bowl.

"You know, I might actually do. But you don't have to worry, because when it's all gone, I'll only have you left here with me. And then you'll be back at the top of my list." She grinned at him and took the last bite out of her bowl.

He scorched at her, and put his bowl down at the table. He turned to face her again, and playfully narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm pretty sure that I can make you forget about those strawberries right now." He whispered teasingly while he inched closer to her and rested his hands on her waist.

Haley's eyes widened when she felt his hands on her waist.

"Nathan, don't!" She told him sternly. She hated to be tickled and she knew that look on his face.

"Nathan, I'm serious. Please don't do it. Let's not forget why we're sitting here in the first place…" And with that she had managed to ruin the happy and carefree tone they'd had, for the first time in a what felt like forever. She felt really bad, when she saw Nathan's smile disappear the next second and he slowly retraced to his original position on the couch.

A short silence claimed them both, and Haley used it to place her empty bowl down at the table.

"I'm sorry Nathan. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. But if we start up anything right now, I don't think we will be able to finish this conversation. And I really need to get this off of my chest today, while I still feel like I can." She reasoned, using a soft tone.

Nathan inwardly sighed and nodded his head softly. She was right. They should finish talking and resolve everything that had been on their minds this last week, that was the obvious reasons for their misunderstandings that easily developed when they didn't talk to each other.

"You're right Haley, and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…it's just that it felt good to let everything go again, even if it was just for a minute. I've really missed you, you know. I've missed this." He put his hand on her thigh and looked at her.

"I know…" She breathed out and felt a slight stirring in the pit of her stomach when he put his hand on her thigh. It felt good to feel like this again. But she couldn't really let herself relax until she had told Nathan everything and seen his reaction to it all. She was still nervous about that.

"I've missed this too, and I'm sorry that I've put you through this. I wish I could take it back and remove the pain you've been feeling this last week. But I've been in pain too, Nathan, and the reason for that is…" She stopped for a second. She felt the weight of Nathan's hand on her thigh give her some kind of comfort and enough strength to continue. She took one deep breath before she started up again, with Nathan looking at her intently.

* * *

><p>Lucas was finally done with the paperwork he had brought home from the office. It had literally taken the entire evening to get through it, and he was exhausted. Sometimes it sucked to have this job, because you couldn't always leave it behind when you left the office and went home. He had a huge responsibility when it came to his clients, and that was something that he took very seriously. Unfortunately, that didn't always match up with his life as a husband and a father.<p>

He stretched in his chair and looked over at the clock hanging on the wall above the door in his study. It showed 11:30 pm. He let out a sigh and got up from his chair.

When he came out in the hallway, he saw that the lights was still on in the kitchen, so he walked in to check if Brooke might've forgotten to turn them off before she went upstairs. She had habit of falling asleep next to Sarah, when she was reading to her in bed. Obviously, she didn't plan on going to sleep at 7 pm herself. But having their own firm with many responsibilities, and then coming home to two attention sick youngsters, did require a certain amount of energy, and it often took everything out of them by the end of the day.

Lucas halted by the door leading into the kitchen when he saw Brooke sitting by the counter drinking a cup of tea. He was surprised that she was still up at this hour, but also glad that she was.

"Hey pretty girl. What are you still doing up? Isn't it past your bedtime?" He walked over to the counter and sat down on the stool next to her.

"It actually is way past my bedtime, but for once I thought you might appreciate me waiting for you." She turned her head and smiled tiredly at him. She had already changed into her sleep wear, and only had a tank top and pajama bottoms on.

"I do appreciate it, you know I do. But you didn't have to do that. I feel bad that I'm the reason you're losing your beauty sleep." He teased her.

"Hey! I don't need any beauty sleep, I'm already hot, and you know it." She played hurt at first, but turned the joke around.

Lucas chuckled at his wife. She was right though. She definitely did not need any beauty sleep, she was hot as hell. And sometimes he wondered how she put up with his sorry ass, she was way out of his league. But he was grateful for every single day he'd had with her, and even more grateful for all the others he was going to get in the future. He was a lucky son of a bitch.

Brooke let out a yawn and got up from the stool. She went around the counter and put her cup in the dishwasher, before she turned to Lucas.

"You want to join me into bed? I'm calling it a night now." She said and held out her hand.

Lucas smiled at her and accepted her offered hand. "Yeah, let's get to bed." He said as he got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled back at him and dragged him along towards the stairs, while hitting the light switch on her way out. Leaving one of the Scott houses in complete silence and darkness, as the night claimed them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _Phew, there you go...now, let's have it. I know, I know. They're still not all talked out, and I could've included the last part of the conversation in this chapter, but then it would've been way too long, so I decided to torture you a little more...sorry he he_  
><em>I don't know if I did justice on Nathan's part of the conversation and how they dealt with it, but I couldn't come up with anything better, and I also felt like I should have at least a few parts that was a little lighter, seeing as this was kind of an angsty chapter.<em>

_Thank you all for reading and reviewing!_  
><em>Just to make it clear, reviews really inspire me to write, even though I don't really have that much time nowadays, so please don't hesitate to throw one in, if you have something on your mind. <em>


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer; I do not own anything, except my own, suprisingly, creative imagination. Who would've thought.

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

It was early the next morning. Nathan was wide awake. In fact, he hadn't slept at all after what happened last night. He was still a little hurt, but more importantly, he was fucking pissed off.

He turned his head and glanced at the clock at his nightstand and saw that it was only 5:05 am. He let out a sigh and realized that he wouldn't be able to get any sleep at all, since he was supposed to be up in about one and an half hour anyway.

Today was going to be long, and with all this new information swirling around in the back of his mind, he was pretty sure that he was going to get insane by the end of the day.

Nathan turned his head around and looked at Haley. She looked so peaceful. He didn't understand how she was able to sleep like that. Not after what she'd revealed to him about her past merely a few hours ago. But he figured she was completely drained and exhausted after all the crying she did yesterday, he couldn't really blame her. And she probably felt relieved after finally getting all of that off of her chest. It couldn't have been easy walking around and holding all of that to herself. He was also extremely tired himself, after letting every single emotion out of his system, which was probably about a million thoughts that had been swirling around inside of him this last week. But his mind was still racing, which made it impossible to let the sleep take over.

It came as a shock to him when she'd told him. But what was even worse, was that it wasn't just a story or an ex from her past. This was happening right now, in the present, and he really didn't know what he was going to do about it.

He kept staring at her sleeping form for another minute, before he suddenly got out of bed and walked quietly into the bathroom suite. He thought that he might as well could take a long, warm shower when he was up anyway. Maybe the water could wash some of this away. Or at least help him clear his mind a little, because right now it was nothing but a big mess. He had no idea as to where he should start. His mind was on overload at the moment, and that was never a good thing for Nathan Scott.

He grabbed a pair of clean boxers and a clean t-shirt on his way into the bathroom without making any noises and waking Haley up. He couldn't deal with her right now, there was too much going on inside of his head and he needed to be alone for a while. Besides, when he looked at her right now, his heart could only ache, and he couldn't handle more emotional breakdowns. He needed to reset and get back to the Nathan he used to be, the strong, confident guy that could handle pretty much anything, without being so insecure and have these ridiculous emotional breakdowns. He was a little embarrassed of himself because of that. But on the other hand, he couldn't really help it either. It was all because of the woman that was sleeping in his bed right now. She held an uncontrollable power over him, that he was unable to explain. Ever since he saw her that first time, she'd been constantly on his mind. She was the first thing that popped up in his mind when he opened his eyes in the morning, she consumed his thoughts throughout the day, and she was the last thing he thought about before he fell asleep at night. It scared him a lot actually, how much she controlled him, without her even knowing.

Nathan stepped into the cubicle when he felt the water was hot enough. He leaned his palms onto the wall and let the water run over his head and down his neck and back. The hard shower jet felt good when they hit the knots that had formed in his neck and down his back between the shoulder blades. He closed his eyes and went back to the previous night in his mind. He needed to try and sort this out, to figure out what to do about it. He took a few deep breaths in order to suppress the anger and frustration that kept appearing, when the image of Haley's tear streaked face from last night entered his mind again...

* * *

><p><em>"I've missed this too, and I'm sorry that I've put you through this. I wish I could take it back and remove the pain you've been feeling this last week. But I've been in pain too, Nathan, and the reason for that is…" She stopped for a second. She felt the weight of Nathan's hand on her thigh give her some kind of comfort and enough strength to continue. She took one deep breath before she started up again, with Nathan looking at her intently.<em>

_"I have no idea where to start Nathan, it's all just a big, stupid mess. But before I get into this, I want you to know that I wish I'd told you about this sooner. I regret keeping this from you, especially now, when it's all happening again…" She forced herself to look at him._

_"But I've been embarrassed for a long time, and I didn't want you to see me in a pathetic, helpless kind of way, even more damaged than I already was. I just wanted to forget about it, and you have been a huge reason for me actually being able to let it go completely. At least until he showed up again the week you were in Rome." Her pulse was increasing with every word she spoke, and it made a loud noise in her head. She inhaled sharp before she kept going._

_"A little over a year ago, I dated this guy I kind of worked with at the hospital, he was on a different ward, but still at the same hospital. He was an attending in the cardiology department, actually one of the best cardiologists in the state. And I remember I met him during a mixer that was held for the new interns that had just started that year. We hit it off and it didn't take long before we were dating. I still kept him at arms length in the beginning, because, well…you know."_

_Nathan started to shift in his seat. He felt extremely uncomfortable at the moment, and had to break his eyes away from Haley. He couldn't look at her without getting uneasy as she continued to talk. He kept his hand planted on her thigh. He still wanted to feel her, he just couldn't look at her without getting dizzy._

_"Anyway, after a while, I started to put my guard down, slowly but surely. He was being the perfect gentleman. He continuously surprised me with romantic dinners and even flowers at work. I started to feel like I could love him, and I almost did, until…" Haley had to stop for a second. Her heart was beating so fast, making her head starting to ache. She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. She needed to continue and finish this once and for all, so she tried to ignore the pounding ache that was shooting through her head. It even made her sight a little blurry when she opened her eyes again. At least the tears had somewhat subsided, but that was probably because she was all dried up at this point, from all the crying she'd been doing these last few hours. She tried to focus back on Nathan which was staring blankly at nothing in particular. He kept his gaze towards the bottle standing on the table in front of him, but she saw that his look was empty. He couldn't even look at her when she had started to talk about it, and felt a little disturbed by the fact. She tried to ignore the sting in her chest, and swallowed hard._

_"One day, we got into a big fight. I had been working a 24 hour shift, and I was tired and exhausted. Then the minute I walked through the door of my apartment, he immediately started to attack me, verbally, with the most insane accusations ever. He accused me for cheating on him. He told me he had seen me talk to one of my colleagues at work, and what was even worse, according to him; I had touched this guy on the arm and laughed. He claimed that he could see the spark between us. It was completely ridiculous, but he was stubborn and wouldn't budge on his conclusion about his observations." She started to fiddle with the hem of her top and shook her head as she looked down. _

_"I tried to explain to him the insanity of his accusations, and that I was only having a normal conversation with a good friend. That there was nothing else going on. However, that didn't help his jealous ass to calm down, he only got more angry at me. Then I got angry, and everything got out of control. We were both yelling at each other for what felt like hours. And we kept going, until I told him to get out of my apartment. I was so angry and frustrated, and I couldn't believe that he would come up with something like that. It was totally out of the blue. When he didn't make a move to leave, I walked over to him and shoved him towards the door while yelling at him to get the fuck out. I couldn't even look at him, I was so mad."_

_Nathan sat completely still, except for his fingers that were tapping the material of the couch, in a nervous manner, right next to his own thigh. It was a lot to take in, and he didn't know what to believe or think. He most certainly did not like hearing her talk about an ex, that she clearly had had a close connection with. Did she use to love this guy, like she loved him now? He felt a tiny jealous streak run through him. He didn't want to think about Haley with anyone else, the thought made him extremely uneasy and a little agitated. His thoughts were interrupted again, when Haley started to talk again._

_"I kept hitting his chest in frustration, while I was pushing him towards the door. I wanted him out of my sight, I needed him out of my sight. Then suddenly he raised his arm and hit me hard on the side of my face, or maybe it was more of a slap really, but I felt it shoot right through my head as I fell backwards." Haley noticed Nathan's head snap back up to look at her. His eyes showed a shade of confusion, before they turned darker and she could see anger and fear start to take over. He opened his mouth to say something, but Haley continued before he could speak._

_"Then he…umm…walked over to me, where I was lying on the floor, clutching my face in pain. He stopped right in front of my feet and hovered above me. He grabbed my wrist and squeezed it so hard that I was almost positive that he would break it off. He then pulled me slightly back up so my face was close to his and told me that I was a fucking, cheating whore that could burn in hell. Then he threw me hard back on the floor so I hit the back of my head, before he turned around and left out the door." Tears were silently running down her cheek again, that had been triggered, when she had to relive this moment by telling Nathan. _

_She jumped when she felt Nathan increase the pressure around her thigh with his hand. She looked over at him. He was clenching his jaw, and his eyes showed nothing but anger at the moment. She could see that he was having a hard time processing all of this She was even a little scared of what he might say or do right now. The atmosphere surrounding them had changed so quickly, in a matter of seconds, and she felt extremely uneasy._

_Haley looked back down at her hands and had to swallow a couple of times to try and stop the acidic content that kept ascending from her stomach. She knew Nathan would never hit her, but she was still scared of how he would react. She had never seen him like this before._

_"After that night, I never saw him again…I don't know where he went or what he did, but he disappeared. Even from the hospital." She spoke low. She was afraid of talking too loud in case Nathan would snap or get an outburst._

_"It took me at least six months before I could walk around outside or even at work, without looking over my shoulder in fear that he might show up. I changed the locks in my apartment, and I changed my phone number. I practically forced Peyton to live with me the first few months. I have never seen anyone change behavior that fast before, it was terrifying." She continued with a soft, shaky voice._

_"I finally felt like I had gotten back to normal again, after a lot of help from Peyton, and few therapy sessions. It felt good to talk about it and get it all out to someone. By then I had sworn to myself that I would stay away from guys and relationships, at least for a while. I needed to at least be comfortable with myself, before I could throw myself out there again. Then you walked into my life, and you touched something inside of me I didn't even know existed. You made me forget all about my fear of getting close to another man. You made it easy to see past all the pain he'd caused. I still don't know how you were able to do it, and in such a short amount of time. But you managed to pull me in, and I'm forever grateful that you did. I have never felt so safe and so loved by anyone before, as I am when I'm with you, Nathan. You saved me." She paused and carefully tried to read off of his expression. He hadn't said or done anything since she started to talk, except looking back at her with anger in his eyes and squeezing her leg, when she told him about the argument that ended with her getting hit. His silence was unnerving, but she was afraid to ask him._

_Nathan's mind was racing, he could not believe what she had just told him. And he didn't know what the hell he was supposed to say or do. He was filled with a mix of emotions. All the previous ones from his own insecurities was still floating around. But they were slowly pushed aside and exchanged with anger, fury and an ache by the thought of this guy abusing and mistreating Haley like that. That son of a bitch. What right did he have to completely change his personality and accuse Haley for cheating on him, by a simple observation of her talking to another guy! It had totally snapped in his head, when she told him about him hitting her and just leaving her alone like that. What a low life of a scumbag! _

_At first he'd been a little hurt by the fact that she hadn't told him about this earlier, but he could see how much she struggled with it, and how much it hurt her to bring this up again, so he kind of understood her. But at the same time, he really wished that she could've trusted him enough to let him in on this sooner._

_"Haley…" His voice came out low as he tried to find the right words. He saw that her hands were shaking, and quickly took a hold of them between his own hands._

_"I'm so sorry that you didn't feel like you could tell me this sooner…it hurts me to see you like this and to know that you've been treated this way. I would never…" He trailed off when he heard Haley inhale sharp._

_"Nathan, wait there's more…" She quickly shot in. Nathan kept his gaze at her and held back his words, to let her continue._

_"Do you remember the week you were in Rome? You called me one of the nights and I told you about the horrible day I'd had?" She asked._

_"Yeah, I remember, but you didn't want to talk about it, so I figured it was nothing." He looked at her questionably. _

_"That was the first time I saw him again. It had been about a year since that night in my apartment, and when I went grocery shopping after work that day, I noticed him by the dairy section. Fortunately, he didn't see me, so I ran out of there and went straight home." She closed her eyes for a second._

_"I wanted to tell you Nathan, so bad. But we were still so new, and you were all the way in Rome, and I didn't want to worry you about something you couldn't do anything about anyway."_

_"But I could've helped you in some way Haley." He sounded disappointed._

_"You did help me. You helped me simply by talking to me about other things, and it helped to hear your voice."_

_"Okay…so why didn't you tell me after I came back home then?" He still couldn't understand why she kept this from him for so long._

_"Frankly, I don't know. I guess I felt embarrassed about letting it happen, about everything really, and I thought that you would see me as a weak person." She sighed. "Then we went directly to your parents in Tree Hill, which made me forget about it, when the other issue came up instead."_

_"I still don't get it Haley. Why have you suddenly turned so distant and dismissive this last week then? This happened a long time ago, and I don't understand what this has got to do with the present?" He sighed and untangled one of his hands from Haley's and raked it through his hair._

_Haley closed her eyes and bit her lip._

_"Because Nathan…" She swallowed hard. "When I was going to go home to see you after work the day of Peyton's accident, he showed up again, this time in the locker room at the hospital. I was reading your text, that told me to come straight to your place, while I was walking out of the locker room. When I was about to walk into the lounge, that connects with the locker room, I bumped into someone. And the next thing I know I was dragged back into the locker room and pushed hard up against the wall…" She quickly blinked away the tears that had once again filled her eyes._

_"And then a pair of dry, hard lips were attacking my own lips…" She moved her gaze to her hands that were still shaking, even though Nathan was still resting his hand on top of them._

_"What!" Nathan shot up from his seat. Fury was running through his veins in high speed. He started to pace back and forth between the couch and the coffee table._

_"That mother fucking son of a bitch!" He halted right in front of Haley, that had started to cry loudly by Nathan's sudden outburst._

_"Tell me he didn't hurt you again. Tell me he didn't do anything else to you Haley!" His raised his voice as he felt his blood boil from all the anger that shot through him._

_Haley didn't dare look up at him and continued to stare down in her lap. Her entire body was shaking._

_"N-no Nathan…I were able to push him away from me, once I realized what was going on. And then I slapped him once before I stormed out of there. A-and that's when I arrived at Peyton's accident…" She could barley even hear her own shaky voice._

_Nathan stood next to Haley and looked down at her. His body was literally shaking from all the anger bubbling inside of him, that, and the fear he felt for Haley when he thought that she'd might've be hurt again. But as she quickly dismissed that thought, the ache dissolved back into pure rage._

_He clenched his jaw and his fists at the side of his body. He was going to fucking kill this guy._

_"Who the hell is this guy, Haley? What is his name?" He was unable to calm down, and his voice was still almost yelling. He noticed Haley jump again by his loud voice, and took a long, deep breath, in order to try and calm himself down. If not for his own sake, then for Haley's sake._

_He carefully sat down again, as close as he could to Haley and put his hand over her trembling hands. He realized that this was probably not what she needed right now. She wouldn't respond to yelling and rage, at least not in the state she was currently in. When he felt the worst wave of rage started to settle inside of him, he came to his senses, and realized that she had been walking around for more than a week now, keeping this to herself. Too afraid and too scared to even tell him about it. And now that she'd seen his reaction, he couldn't really blame her. He wasn't sorry for his outburst towards this guy, but he felt bad about it when it came to Haley. There was no way in hell that he would let him or anyone treat his girlfriend like that, and then expect to get away with it._

_"Hales…" He managed to lower his voice. She still wouldn't meet his eyes as she still focused her eyes on her hands. _

_He scooted closer to her and put one of his hands on her arm. "Haley…please look at me." His tone was soft._

_She sniffled a couple of times and wiped her face with the back of her hand, before she slowly raised her head and met his eyes. Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw the emotions reflecting in his eyes. They had changed from the angry dark, almost black color to a softer shade of blue, filled with sadness and worry._

_He rubbed his hand up and down her arm and looked at her worriedly._

_"I'm sorry you had to go through all of this alone, it hurts me to think about all the pain you have been through, without letting me help you." His voice broke a little at the end, but he managed to pull himself together. He had to be strong for her now, he had already broken down once, and now was not the time for round two._

_"Are you sure he didn't hurt you in any other way? I just can't…" His voice trailed off and he softly shook his head._

_Haley nodded in silence and kept her eyes on him. She saw his eyes flicker by her response and he let out a sigh of relief. He moved his hand to her face and carefully wiped away the tears on her cheek._

_"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry." He breathed out and leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he took her in his arms. He kept her head in the crook of his neck as he continuously stroked her hair. He wished with all his heart that he could take her pain away by never letting her go. He just wanted to hold her like this forever, when he felt her body shake and the sound of her loud sobs starting up again. His heart ached for her, and for several minutes he just held her and let her get it all out._

* * *

><p>The warm water had finally made him relax a little and helped loosen up the tight knots in the back of his neck. He kept standing still, feeling numb and helpless in a way. He hated feeling like this more than anything. She still hadn't told him who this guy was, since she had literally cried herself to sleep while he held her. He had to make Haley tell him who this fucker was, once she woke up. He clenched his jaw when he thought about all the things he wanted to do to this guy. Right now, he could probably kill him with his bare hands, and he wouldn't even care. What kind of pathetic loser would ever hit a woman? The anger slowly crept underneath his skin again. He let out a loud sigh and let go of the wall and picked up the shampoo bottle. He felt extremely restless and was annoyed as hell that it was still only 5 am. He just had to try and calm down and be patient, because he was going to let Haley sleep for as long as she needed. And until she was awake, there was nothing he could do.<p>

He quickly finished up in the shower and found the towel hanging right outside the cubicle and dried himself. He fastened the towel around his waist and went over to the sink and found the shaving cream. As he applied the cream onto his face he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were red and puffy with dark rings underneath. He looked like shit, but anything else was unexpected, after the night he'd had.

After he'd finished shaving, he put on the t-shirt and the boxers and walked back into the bedroom. He stood still for a moment and watched Haley, curled up on her side of the bed. Even in her sleep, she looked exhausted, and a sudden urge of physical contact swept through him while he looked at her. He really wanted to go back into bed and scoot close to her body and just hold her. But he didn't want to risk waking her up, so he decided that he could go down to his office and get some work done instead, while he waited for the early morning hours to pass. He put on a pair of socks and his jeans from last night, that hung over the chair in the corner of the room, next to the window that had a view over his driveway. He took a quick glance out through the curtain to check the weather, and saw that dark clouds were rolling towards them. That was just what they needed now, a fucking storm, great. He inwardly sighed and turned around to walk downstairs. He stopped one last time in the door and took another glance over at Haley, before he left and closed the door quietly behind him.

* * *

><p>Haley's eyes shot open. She sat up in an instant and immediately felt her head started to pound like crazy. She groaned and palmed her forehead while she fell back down into the mattress. She was a little confused about where she was, until she looked around and saw that she was in Nathan's bed. That's when it all came back to her. The previous night. The conversation that clearly took everything out of her. She didn't remember getting into bed, so she figured Nathan probably had carried her upstairs after her last and final emotional breakdown.<p>

She slowly turned her head to see what time it was. Holy crap! It was already 11:30 am. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd slept that long. But she definitely needed it, because she still didn't feel like she'd had enough rest. She groaned out loud again and closed her eyes. This headache really did a great number on her right now. But with all the crying she'd done yesterday, she was probably dehydrated as hell, so the headache wasn't really a big surprise.

She turned over on her side and stretched her hand out to Nathan's side of the bed. The sheets were cold, so he'd probably been up for a while. She got an uneasy feeling in the pit of the stomach, when she thought about him and where he might be right now. Even though she got the impression yesterday, that he wasn't mad at her, she still had a feeling that he might would be needing some more time to digest everything. And she couldn't blame him. That was a lot to take in, especially when he'd had the impression that she was going to break up with him. She felt a sting in her chest, when his face from yesterday entered her mind. He'd looked so broken and so incredibly vulnerable. Her heart almost got ripped in half, by the thought of her being the reason for him to feel that way. She scooted closer to his side and put her head on his pillow. She loved the smell of him, and she felt tiny tingles in the back of her neck, as she inhaled his scents and snuggled into it. She lay there for a while, clutching his pillow into her face. She didn't know how long she'd been laying like that, when her head once again, pounded hard behind her eyes. She took another deep breath and slowly started to get up. She wasn't very keen on leaving the bed, but she needed an aspirin, and she needed water. Besides, she wanted to check and see where Nathan was. She could vaguely remember him saying something about going into work today, so that's where he probably was, still she wanted to see if he was home.

When she was finally out of the bed and standing next to it, she looked down at herself, and saw that she was wearing nothing but one of Nathan's big t-shirts over her panties. She smiled softly to herself and felt a small flutter in her stomach. He had even undressed her, and put her into her favorite shirt to sleep in. How he could ever think that she didn't love him anymore, was beyond her. He was, without doubt, the most considerate, loving and caring man she had ever met in her entire life. And she was the lucky woman that was on the receiving end of his endless kindness and love.

She clenched her eyes again and sighed when another wave of pain fired through her head, so that she almost fell over. She regained her balance, and went slowly towards the door.

There was not a single sound in the house, and the silence made her body shiver a little, as she descended the stairs. When she came downstairs in the hallway, she turned her head to see if he was in the living room, before she continued into the kitchen. There was no sign of him anywhere. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and went over to the cabinet where she knew Nathan kept a bottle of aspirin. She quickly swallowed a couple of pills with a big gulp of water. The cold liquid felt refreshing, and she now realized how thirsty she really was. She chugged down the rest of the bottle, and threw it out in the recycling bin.

The silence made her slightly uncomfortable, so she started to walk around and check the rest of the house to see if Nathan could be hiding somewhere else. When she passed the large windows in the living room, leading out to the backyard, she saw that it was raining outside. That's when she first heard the sound of the rain tapping on the windows and the ceiling as well. She hadn't really noticed anything but the silence, and the constant pounding in her head. She shrugged her shoulders, and walked past the hallway and carefully opened the door to Nathan's study. Nothing. She started to feel lightheaded and dizzy, so she decided to go back upstairs and lay down again. Maybe if she slept a couple of more hours, the headache would be gone when she woke up again. And clearly, Nathan wasn't home, so she didn't need to feel bad about her being unsocial for a few more hours.

It didn't take long, after she'd laid down in the bed again, before she fell into another deep sleep. Her body was in complete lack of energy, and it sorely needed more rest.

* * *

><p>Nathan was sitting by his desk in his office, staring blankly at the computer screen. He hadn't been able to do much work today. The previous night kept replaying over and over in his mind. He wondered if Haley was awake yet, and figured that she probably was, since it was 1:15 pm. He'd been there since 6:30 am, mostly just sitting around in his chair and thinking. He had actually managed to do a routine control of the breaks and the break fluid on the two jets that were currently on the ground, so it hadn't been a complete waste.<p>

He yawned and stretched his arms above his head and figured he might as well just go home since it was a quiet day at work. He also needed to talk to Haley, about what was coming next. He might even be able to finally get some sleep too, if he got to talk to Haley and tie up the loose ends that he still felt were missing.

He rubbed his eyes before he turned off the computer and got up from his chair. He locked the door behind him and inwardly cursed himself for parking so far away from the entrance of the building, when he saw the pouring rain outside. He grabbed the keys in his hand and ran outside to the car. It only took him about 30 seconds to run from the building to his car, but that was enough to get soaking wet.

_There was really no need for that shower I took this morning seeing as I'm gonna need a new warm one when I get home_. He thought and brushed the water out of his hair with his hand. His body automatically shivered as the water slowly soaked through his clothes and attached to his skin. He shivered again, before he started the car and drove away with the rain splashing on the windshield.

* * *

><p>Nathan entered through the door and shivered slightly as his wet, cold body met the warm air inside his house. He pushed the door and closed it quietly behind him. Damn, the weather was nasty outside. He quickly removed his jacket and hung it over the back of the single chair that was next to the entrance. He straightened up and stood still for a second, to see if he could hear any familiar sounds throughout the two story house. He scratched the back of his head when he was met with nothing but silence. He turned slowly and walked towards the stairs, and peeked into the kitchen as he passed it. There was no sign of Haley. He ascended the stairs and felt the wet material of his jeans stick to his thighs. As he walked down the hall towards the bedroom he felt the exhaustion slowly seeping into his body. He started to remove his wet t-shirt and unbuttoned his jeans even before he reached the door of his bedroom. He hated the feeling of wet clothes attached to his body, and he couldn't wait to get out of them.<p>

Nathan halted in the doorway and clutched the t-shirt in his hand, when he noticed Haley. It seemed like she was still in a very deep sleep, however, she was now cuddled up at his side of the bed. She was on her side, facing him, and her small hand was tightly around the sheet, which was pulled all the way up close to her face. A soft smile curled his lips as he took in the sight of her. Her dark, long hair was fanned out across the pillow, she looked so beautiful. He stood like that for another minute, simply admiring the sight of her peaceful, sleeping form. He jumped a little when she let out a small snore, and started to stir by her own sound. He took one step into the room, still watching her as she kept stirring and eventually rolling over on her back. Another soft sound left her mouth, which was a mix of a snore and a sigh. He chuckled quietly to himself and went into the bathroom suite. He was tempted to walk over to the bed and lay down next to her, but he really needed to get out of these wet clothes and take a warm shower first. He'd missed the physical contact of her today. And maybe that was part of the reason as to why he'd been so restless all day. He knew that wasn't the main issue, but her presence always seemed to make him relax, both physically and mentally.

He turned the shower on before he removed his jeans and boxers and dropped them on the warm, tiled bathroom floor with a loud thump. He jumped into the shower and felt the hot water doing wonders to his cold body. He closed his eyes and felt his body slowly starting to warm up again as the water massaged his body.

When he finally felt his temperature had returned to normal, he turned off the water and dried himself. He walked back into the bedroom, with the towel hanging low around his waist.

He stopped by the foot of the bed and crawled carefully into the bed on Haley's side. When his body hit the mattress he felt how tired he really was. He was flat on his back and turned his head towards Haley and saw that she was still in the same position, after her stirring before he went into the shower. He scooted closer to her body and rolled over on his side so that his bare chest came in close contact with the side of her arm. He felt his eyes getting heavy by the sound of Haley's even, deep breaths. He carefully draped his arm over her stomach and snuggled his face into her hair. Seconds later, he too, fell into a deep sleep, unable to fight the exhaustion and tiredness that occupied every single cell of his body. The very last thing on his mind before he passed out, was the intoxicating scent of Haley's strawberry shampoo.

* * *

><p>Haley slowly opened her eyes. Her mind was a little hazy, but it didn't take many seconds until she remembered that she was still in bed, after being up earlier to take a few painkillers for the headache she had woken up with. At least it was gone now. She then felt a tickling breath at the side of her face and something limp laying across her stomach, pressing her down into the mattress. She turned her head slightly and saw Nathan's sleeping form close to her body. A warm, fuzzy feeling shot through her and her heart started to beat fast. She tried to maneuver her body so that she was facing Nathan better. She studied the features of his peaceful face as he was still sleeping, while she softly stroked her fingertips up and down his arm that was draped around her. She smiled when she noticed that he had nothing but a towel around his waist. He hadn't even placed himself under the covers. She traced her fingers across his upper arm and stopped at his shoulder. His skin felt a little cold, so she decided to try and get the sheets out from underneath him, so she could cover him with it. That, however, was easier said than done. Nathan was a big man, and his body got even heavier when he was sleeping. She kept tugging on the material as carefully as she could without moving him or waking him up. She only had a small part left to get out, when Nathan started to stir and wrinkle his nose. She stopped her ministrations, and held her breath for a second as she watched him closely.<p>

Nathan was dragged out of his sleep by something moving next to him. He felt himself waking up, but he was still tired, so he tried to ignore whatever it was that was making the bed shift, and go back to sleep. However, the movements didn't stop, so he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a second or two before he was able to adjust, but when he did, he stared right into a pair of big, brown eyes.

"Hi…" Haley whispered. She stopped tugging on the sheets and moved her hand back to his upper arm. "I'm sorry I woke you up like that." She felt bad, because he looked really tired.

"Hey you…" Nathan's voice was thick with sleep.

"I just about woke up myself, and saw that you didn't have anything covering you, and your skin felt cold. So I thought I'd try and put the sheets over you, but they were stuck underneath you and I…" She started to ramble but stopped when Nathan let out a tiny chuckle.

"What?" She felt her cheeks heating up.

"You're rambling, and I'm still in the midst of waking up here." He continued chuckling and wiped a stray of hair away from her face.

She felt herself getting embarrassed and shoved him lightly in the chest. "I do not. I was just trying to get these out…" She started up once again and tugged at the end of the covers that were still stuck underneath his body. She suddenly got surprised when she felt the sheets finally loosened and the entire thing was in her hands. She looked perplexed back up at Nathan's smiling face, and saw that he lowered his body back into the mattress.

"Well?" He asked trying to hold back his laughter when he saw Haley's expression.

"Well, what?"

"I thought you were going to cover me up? Or did you just want it all to yourself?" His teasing tone was accompanied with a sly smile.

"Oh, shut up you. You better watch it or I might actually take it all myself." She joked back and smacked him lightly on his arm.

"Fine, I'll just be laying here, freezing my ass off, but whatever." He feigned hurt.

"Ugh, quit it now you big baby, and get in here instead." She ceased the bantering and held open the cover so that he could join her under it.

"That's more like it." He smiled warmly and inched himself closer to Haley's warm body, underneath the covers.

Silence suddenly claimed the both of them as they both lay inches away from each other, staring into each others eyes. Nathan's face turned more serious when he thought he saw some sort of insecurity flashing through Haley's eyes.

"Are you mad at me?" Haley broke the silence with a whisper and looked at Nathan through her eyelashes. She hadn't really gotten the chance to hear him out yesterday, after she'd told him everything, since she'd cried herself into sleep. She felt insecure and nervous still, about how he would respond to it all, now that he'd had the entire morning to think things over.

Nathan untangled his hand away from the covers and softly stroked her cheek. Her eyes snapped shut immediately when she felt his hand on her skin. He thought about it for a second as he tried to find the right words to say to her.

"I'm worried about you." His fingers kept stroking her cheek.

Haley opened her eyes and looked at him. She could in fact see the worry in his eyes, and knew he wasn't lying to her. She took a hold of his hand that was stroking her cheek, intertwined their fingers and placed them down in between their bodies, close to their chests.

"I'm afraid you're goning to close yourself up again if he keeps bothering you, and I'm scared of what he might do to you, if he actually shows up again." He spoke honestly. "Haley, I want you to tell me who he is." He tried to suppress the anger that automatically appeared whenever he thought about this guy. "I need to you tell me his name." He stated.

Haley sighed and squeezed his hand. "Nathan…I don't want you to anything stupid. Please. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I promise I won't do anything stupid, okay. I just want to know who this guy is. I have the right to know when he's attacking and scaring my girl like that. You have to stop keeping me in the dark." He felt himself getting a little agitated and raised his tone unintentionally.

Haley bit her lip. She knew he was right. She was just scared that he might go and do something reckless and stupid. She couldn't handle the thought of Nathan getting hurt or injured if they would end up in a fight. She loved the protective side of him, and she knew she would always be safe and protected with Nathan. But if the anger got the best of him, he might not be able to control the temper she knew he had within him. And that could end up with a less fortunate outcome.

"I know. You have the right to know. And I promise I'll tell you everything from now on. I already feel less scared, now that I've told you about this, because I know that you'll be here for me and protect me if he would show up again." She looked down at their intertwined hands. "I'll tell you his name, but you have to promise me that you won't do anything stupid, okay? I need you to promise me!" She looked pleadingly into his eyes.

Nathan saw the fear shining in her eyes and locked her gaze with his own eyes. "I promise you, Hales. I won't to do anything stupid."

Haley kept staring at him a few seconds with her lower lip stuck in between her teeth.

"Okay." She then sighed out. "His name is Damian. Damian West." She felt a sour taste in her mouth just by saying his name out loud.

Nathan let out the breath he didn't know he was holding in, and slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Thank you." He whispered into her skin before he pulled back.

Haley felt like another brick was finally lifted off of her chest. Even though the problem was still there, she felt lighter and more relaxed somehow, knowing that Nathan knew. And she was finally released from all of the secrets she'd been holding in for so long. She felt like she could breathe again.

She felt Nathan roll over onto his back. He pulled her into his side and held his arm around her shoulder. She snuggled her head into the crook of his neck and traced soft, imaginary circles across his chest with her fingers. Neither of them said anything. They both fell into a comfortable silence and enjoyed each others closeness.

Nathan then broke the silence with a small laugh. "Did you really sleep until now?" He looked over to check the time. "You know that it's 2:25 pm, right?" He asked and chuckled.

Haley felt his chest vibrate as he spoke and smiled at the sound of his laugh.

"Is it really?" It was more of a statement than a question, so she continued. "I was up earlier this morning. But I had a killer headache, so I took a few aspirin and went back to bed, when I realized you weren't here." She kept tracing her fingers around at his chest. She loved the feeling of his soft, yet solid body. "Where were you by the way?" She asked softly.

"I went down to the office. I couldn't sleep anyway, so I figured I might as well could try and get some work done." He turned his head slightly and nuzzled his nose into her hair. "How's your head now? Do you feel any better?" He kissed the top of her head.

"Mmm, I'm much better now. Thank you." She smiled at his consideration and placed a soft kiss at his chest.

She suddenly heard her stomach growl and groaned when Nathan started to laugh.

"I guess it's time to feed the beast." He joked.

Haley mocked gasped and smacked his chest. "I'm not a beast, but if you don't feed me I might turn into one." She lifted her head and looked teasingly at him.

"Well, I better get my ass up then and start something up, before it's too late." He smiled and started to get up. He halted in front of Haley's smiling face and placed a small kiss on her lips, before he untangled himself entirely and got out of the bed.

He dropped the towel and quickly put on a boxer and a pair of sweatpants. He turned his head and smiled at Haley before he walked downstairs to make them something to eat.

She smiled affectionately back at him with a smile on her face. "I'm just going to take a quick shower, then I'll be right down." Haley called after him as she saw his bare, muscular back disappear into the hallway.

* * *

><p>Haley was standing in the opening of the living room that lead from the kitchen. She watched Nathan's tall figure standing in front of the large window, looking out at the stormy weather. He was quietly sipping a bottle of beer with an expressionless face. She wondered what was going on inside of his head. He hadn't said much ever since they got up earlier, and she still felt insecure about whether he was completely okay with all of this or not.<p>

She glanced around the room and saw the candlelights that she'd put out priorly were still burning and made a nice glowing light throughout the otherwise dark room. She saw that Nathan had also made up the fireplace and the burning wood made soft, crackling sounds.

She looked back at Nathan and hugged her arms around herself. She leaned her head against the frame of the beam.

"What are you thinking about, Nathan?" Her soft voice cut through the silence and Nathan turned his head.

His mind had been churning all day. His initial anger and fury had subsided and he had managed to change it into rational thinking instead. But he was still worried as hell about Haley and her safety. This guy was clearly unstable, and he knew where she worked and where she lived. He couldn't relax until he knew he had some sort of control concerning everything. Most importantly about her safety. He needed her to be safe, and she probably would be okay at work, where she was usually surrounded by people all the time. He knew he couldn't be around her 24-7 to watch her and keep her safe. He also had his company that he couldn't abandon, and he knew she was to independent and stubborn to even let him be around her at all times.

He looked at her tiny figure, standing leaned against the wooden beam. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun at the top of her head, showing her white, creamy skin of her neck. A small smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Move in with me, Haley."

Haley's breath got caught in the back of her throat and her eyes widened. "W-what?" She had not expected that to be his words of choice.

Nathan started to walk slowly toward where she was standing. "Move in with me, Hales. I want us to live together under the same roof. It's not like it would be much different anyway, since we're either together here or at your place. Besides, I would feel much more relaxed, knowing you'll always be here, instead of being alone in your apartment whenever I'm away." He stopped right in front of her. "You'd be safer here with me." His voice was calm and soft.

Haley was stunned. She kept staring blankly at him as he moved across the floor and stopped in front of her. Her mind was reeling and she felt her sensations go into overdrive when she caught the whiff of his cologne as he came to stand close to her.

She knew exactly what he meant by her being safer in this house. Her heart swelled in her chest and tears were already escaping the edge of her eyes when she raised her gaze to look into his beautiful, smiling blues. She closed the small gap between them and circled her arms around his torso, her head resting on his chest. She let the tears run slowly down her cheeks as she held him tightly.

"So is that a yes?" Nathan asked carefully and hugged her tighter by closing his arms around her. He felt her tilt her head back and saw her eyes shine with tears when she met his eyes.

She sniffled and smiled at him through her tears. "Yes." She let out a soft laugh that was mixed with the sobs in the back of her throat, before she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him again, even tighter.

Nathan released a relieved sigh and couldn't contain the big grin from forming in his face. He chuckled softly and kissed the top of Haley's head as she clung onto him once again. He felt the side of his neck getting wet by her tears, and her warm breath against his skin shot a fire of tingles throughout his entire body. He couldn't remember being this happy, ever. Haley was going to move in with him, into his house, making it their house. His heart was slamming hard against his chest, when he thought about the idea of always waking up to her gorgeous face in the morning, and falling asleep every night with her next to him in bed. Having the scents of her lingering in every room of the house, even when she wasn't there. He closed his eyes and let it all in. He swore silently to himself, that he wasn't going to let Damian hurt her, ever again. She would be safe from now on, he would make sure of that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _Yeah, I tell you I'm going to be busy the next few weeks, yet I still keep updating. Turns out this is more fun, than studying for this exam, but that's how I work I guess, it also helps this story that I sometimes can't sleep at night lol _  
><em>But don't worry, I'm still able to get some studying done, in between all the other important stuff I "have" to do.<em>

_So what's the verdict on this one? I tried to sort out their thoughts and tried to make them on the same page, eventually. Any thoughts on Damian West? Maybe some of you already guessed it? I've actually been back and forth between him and a couple of other names, before I settled on him after I watched episode 3x20 of OTH the other night and figured he'd be perfect as Haley's ex lol_  
><em>And what about Nathan's reaction? Do you think he will meet Damian? If so, will he break the promise he gave to Haley? There's still a lot of things that can happen here, and it will, cause the story is far from over. You can expect more drama, angst, romance and humor - hopefully.<em>

_Just a little FYI; I've been asked how I picture Haley's look in this story, and I see her like she was in season 6, when her hair was a little longer than it was in season 5. _

_So that's it for now. Thank you for sticking with the story and thank you to all of you leaving reviews! Love you for it!_


	12. Chapter 12

**AN**; _Hey guys! Finally I have some time again to write and udate this story. I wanted to get this up tonight, but I don't know if I'm completely satisfied with it, and I don't know if I'm able to come up with another way of writing this-at all. But I'm extremely tired right now, so please forgive me if this chapter doesn't hold the same standard as the others._

_Anyway I'm shutting up now, and let you to it. Enjoy._

Disclaimer; Still don't own anything

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

It was Friday, and Nathan had a business meeting with his client, Mr. Walker, in the early morning hours. He still felt tired after the day he'd had yesterday and the previously sleepless night, and really wished he could sleep in today. But Mr. Walker had a busy schedule, and this was the only available time he had, so that they could clarify the details about their next trip. Nathan didn't know where exactly he was taking him this time, he only knew about this, from when Mr. Walker had told him about it when they were back in Rome. At least Jake would be there with him today, since Mr. Walker had insisted that he wanted both of them in on this trip. He only hoped this meeting wouldn't take long, because he actually wanted to go back home and get some more sleep, before he and Haley were going to Brooke and Lucas' for dinner later tonight. Which also reminded him, that he hadn't told Haley yet about their plans for the evening. He was going to the day he'd talked to Lucas on the phone, but that completely slipped his mind after the highly emotional conversation they ended up having, after she came home from the hospital.

He checked the time on the microwave as he poured himself a cup of coffee and saw that he still had some time before he had to be at the office. So he sat down by the counter and enjoyed the cup of hot, black liquid, that could only be considered as a miracle worker in the morning. He glanced around the kitchen and smiled to himself when he noticed a small, white note, laying next to the bowl of green apples that was placed on the counter. He picked it up and saw his name written on it next to a tiny heart.

_Good morning baby_

_I'm sorry, I got called in extra today, and I didn't have the heart to wake you. But I'll be home around 2 or 3 pm. See you when I get back. And Nathan, I love you. H._

Nathan stared at the note in his hand and felt his heart rate increase. So that's where she was. He'd gotten confused when he woke up and saw that Haley was gone, but the thought of her maybe being at work had actually entered his sleepy mind.

He still couldn't believe that Haley had said yes to moving in with him. She hadn't even hesitated when he'd asked her about it. He would've thought that he might needed to convince her in any way, and that she might think he'd asked her just because of the whole Damian thing. But, when she had looked at him, her eyes filled with tears and her beautiful smile on her lips, and told him yes, he knew that this was something that she also wanted. And in that very moment, all the painful emotions from earlier had disappeared, and been replaced with pure happiness. He felt excited about moving all of her stuff and finally have her staying in this house permanently. It felt good to think about, that from now on, this was no longer his house, but it was their house.

He looked over at the microwave again, and saw that it was time to leave. He silently cursed to himself, and quickly drank the last sip of coffee and placed the cup in the sink, before he folded the note and put it in his pocket while he walked out to his car.

* * *

><p>Haley had finally gotten some time to relax, and decided to go check on Peyton before her beeper went off again. She was still tired and exhausted, after being woken up at 5:30 am and asked to come into work, because one of her colleagues was sick. She hadn't had any time to eat or drink anything, since they'd told her to hurry up and get there as fast as she could. And when she got there, she was met with chaos, to say the least. Apparently, there was some kind of bug going around, and a lot of the staff was out sick, so the workload was more than doubled compared to normal.<p>

She leaned back into the wall of the elevator and closed her eyes. Her head was spinning because of the lack of sleep, and she wished she could've been home all day instead of being here. But that was the kind of person she was, she never said no when someone needed help, no matter how tired or exhausted she was. Nathan would probably yell at her for doing this to herself, but she just couldn't help herself. The thought of Nathan sent small tingles down her spine, as her mind wandered back to the night before and a smile slowly formed across her face.

She got dragged out of her thoughts when the elevator rang, and the doors opened up. She sighed quietly to herself and walked out and down the hall towards Peyton's room. Just outside the door she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw the text from Nathan.

'_It totally slipped my mind, but we're invited over to my brothers house tonight for dinner. Just thought you should know. Hope that's ok?_'

She shook her head and rolled her eyes when she read the text. That was such a typical guy thing to do. Last minute notification. She was on her way of putting the phone back in her pocket when she felt another text ticking in.

'_And I almost forgot, I love you too.'_

So he had seen her note that she had placed on the kitchen counter, before she ran out this morning. She felt the butterflies shoot around in her stomach and the biggest smile was plastered on her face as she entered Peyton's room.

"Hey foxy! What's gotten into you? The last time I saw you, you were just about ready to jump off the rooftop here." Peyton joked when she saw the biggest grin on her best friend as she entered the room. "I'll take it the conversation went well?" She smiled and raised herself into a more comfortable sitting position in the bed.

"Hey Peyt! Well, at least it did eventually." Haley closed the door behind her and walked over and placed herself at the edge of the bed. She immediately reached over to the bedside table, where she'd noticed a box of donuts, and grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth.

Peyton started to chuckle by Haley's demeanor and the look on her face when she'd eyed the box of donuts. "Please, help yourself. What's mine is yours."

"Soo good!" Haley mumbled with wide eyes and her mouth full.

"Ha-ha, well whenever you're done assaulting that poor donut, feel free to elaborate on that whole 'eventually' thing." She rolled her eyes and shook her head at her friends expanse.

"Seriously, Peyton. I haven't eaten anything all day, and I've been here since before 6 am." She whined and shoved the last bite into her mouth.

"Well, in that case…" Peyton laughed and held out the box in front of her.

Haley narrowed her eyes and glared at her, but couldn't hold back the tiny smile that formed at the corner of her mouth. "I think I'm good. It was just a moment of weakness, but thanks anyway for trying to get me fat." She stuck out her tongue and grabbed the box out of Peyton's hands, and placed it back on the bedside table. When she turned her head around to face Peyton again, she faced a big, questionable smile.

"What? Stop looking at me like that, you're creeping me out."

"Oh, come on! Don't try to pretend like nothing happened. Now, spell it!"

Haley rolled her eyes and put her leg underneath her in the bed, while she turned slightly so that she was facing Peyton better. "Ugh, fine. I'll tell you. You really are a pain in the ass P. Sawyer." She teased and got a smack on her knee in response.

"But that's why you love me, right! So I don't regret anything. Now, go!" Peyton looked at Haley with excitement lighting up her entire face.

Haley softly shook her head and smiled. "Okay, so after I'd talked, or more like whined to you the other day, I went straight home to see Nathan…"

She continued and told Peyton the whole story, with a few interruptions now and then, from her blond, curly friend.

"Oh, my God Haley! Are you for real!" Peyton exclaimed with tear filled eyes when Haley told her about her moving in with Nathan.

"Oh, it's very real, I assure you." She said with a dreamy smile and closed her eyes when she felt her heart thump against her chest.

"Haley…" Peyton choked up for a second. "I'm so happy for you! I don't think I know anyone who deserves to be this happy more than you. Really." She smiled and suddenly her expression changed. "You do realize that you've now managed to lock down, probably the hottest guy within miles distance, yeah? Except for Jake that is."

Haley burst out into laughter. Peyton really was something. She could swear that this girl suffered from some kind of bipolar disease or something. Either way, she loved how she could always make her feel better or make her laugh, like now. She could always count on Peyton, and she loved her for that.

"You know you're so wrong about that. I mean the Jake part. The rest was pretty accurate." She winked in Peyton's direction.

"Yeah, I'll let you have that one, for now, I'm not gonna steal your thunder." She winked back. "But in all seriousness. I'm really happy for you Hales! It was about time we got some good news around here anyway. And I can't wait to come visit you guys when I get out of here."

"Thanks Peyt. I'm still a little overwhelmed by everything I guess. It all happened so fast, and we haven't even discussed yet, how and when we're going to move my stuff into the house. I'm not even sure that I still believe that this is actually happening, you know."

"Oh, but it is. And you probably didn't have time to discuss the details of moving your stuff, because you had to seal the deal with some hot lovin', right? I know I'm right, please tell me I'm right?" Peyton nudged her leg and winked.

"Oh, my God, Peyton!" Haley felt her cheeks heat up and turned her head away for a second. "I'm sorry but I have to disappoint you there, best friend. We ended up falling asleep, about 5 minutes after we both hit the mattress."

"Haley!" She whined. "You really do disappoint me, this makes me so sad to hear. Think about the mind blowing sex you probably missed out on. Have I taught you nothing." She shook her head and feigned her disappointment.

"Okay, fine. I get it, you're disappointed. But I don't think you would've had the energy either, after two emotionally intense days like that. I swear, I've never ever been so drained before in my entire life. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone."

Peyton was about to speak up, when Haley's beeper went off.

"Ugh, I guess our time is up, unfortunately." Haley sighed and slowly got up from the bed. She leaned down and gave her a hug. "I'll drop by again when my shift is over, before I go home." She added and started to walk towards the door.

"Oh, no you don't. I don't want you here more than necessary. You go home to Nathan, that's an order! I'll be fine here." Her tone was stern, but in a friendly way.

"I guess I probably don't have a choice here, now do I?" Haley stopped and turned around.

"Nope. I'll see you tomorrow instead or another day, whatever. Today you're going to stay home with your new roomie." She smiled wide.

"Ugh, like I said, you're a pain in my ass, P. Sawyer." Haley chuckled and turned again to leave.

"Love you too, nerd." Peyton called after her as she walked chuckling out of the room and downstairs again, to the ER.

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Sir. We'll see you again over the holidays." Nathan smiled and extended his hand towards the gray haired, older man as they stood by the door in his office.<p>

"We sure will. And thank you again for doing this!" He nodded and shook Nathan's hand before he turned to Jake and shook his hand as well. He gave them another nod, and then left out the door.

"Another Europe trip, huh?" Jake turned to face Nathan after Mr. Walker had walked out.

"Yeah…looks like it." Nathan was already deep in thoughts, right from the second Mr. Walker had told them where they were going, and for how long they were going to stay. He loved the idea of visiting Europe again, but right now he didn't have a good feeling about being away from Haley for 2 weeks. Only the thought of telling her gave him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey, it's gonna be fun, okay. Dude, we're going to Nice. It's in the middle of the French riviera. We have two whole weeks to drink champagne and maybe even try out the casinos in Monaco, which is only a short road trip away. It's going to be awesome!" Jake was unable hide his excitement about this trip. And Nathan would've been just as excited, if it hadn't been for the recent learnings about this Damian guy. He inwardly cringed by the thought of this asshole. In addition, he was going away tomorrow for another five or six days. He felt frustrated over the fact, that Haley was just about to move in with him, and he was going to be away for almost the entire first month of them living together.

He raked his hand through his hair and walked over to his desk. "Yeah, it'll probably be great, once we get there." He let out a small sigh and picked up his jacket that hung over the back of his chair. He just couldn't think about anything concerning this trip, until he'd talked to Haley about it. He felt like there were so many things they needed to sort out here, before he could go anywhere. And right now, this trip just added to all of his concerns and worries.

"Nate, you okay man?" Jake picked up Nathan's mood and noticed that he was a little distant.

Nathan sighed again and put his jacket on. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I just got a lot on my mind right now. I already have this trip tomorrow, then there's Thanksgiving, and then we'll be on our way to Europe right after that. I just feel bad for leaving Haley alone right now, I mean since she's going to move in with me, and I'll be gone for…"

"Whoa, hold on for a second. Did you just say move in with you? When did this happen?" Jake cut him off.

Nathan let out a chuckle and looked over at Jake. "Well, I asked her a couple of days ago actually, and she said yes." His face turned into a big smile.

"Way to go, buddy! Shacking up with the hot doc. I'm happy for you man!" Jake exclaimed and held out his fist.

"Thanks, man." Nathan chuckled and bumped Jake's fist.

"But seriously, Nate, she will be fine. And besides, Peyton gets released from the hospital over the weekend. So she could probably stay with Haley while you're away, you know, to keep her company."

"I guess that's a possibility." Nathan pondered. That was actually a great idea, at least Haley didn't have to stay alone in the big house while he was away.

"I wouldn't mind either, seeing as I'm going away too. I'm actually leaving in a couple of hours." Jake checked his watch. "And she could use some help to adjust with her leg and everything, so that would be perfect." He paused for a second. " And I'm even sure the girls have already discussed something like that." He winked and patted Nathan on the shoulder. "Anyway, I have to go. See you next weekend, right!"

"Yeah, see you when I get back. Have a safe trip Jake. And thanks." Nathan said as they both walked out towards their cars.

No problem, bud. It'll be fine, I'm sure." Jake finished and got into his car and drove away.

* * *

><p>Haley entered the house, finally after an exhausting day at work. It was 3:20 pm and her entire body was sore. She felt her energy level was almost at point low right now, and she looked forward to relax with a nice and warm bath. She literally kicked off her shoes, threw her bag on the floor and slung her jacket at the chair before she turned straight for the stairs.<p>

She walked into the bathroom and started to fill the bathtub with hot water, while she undressed herself. When the water had filled the tub, almost to the brink, she went in and relaxed her head back with a huge, exhilarating, sigh. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of the warm water surrounding her body take over. This day had been way too hectic for her liking, and she wished she could stay in the rest of the night. But then she remembered that they were going to Brooke and Lucas' later for dinner. She had no doubt that it would be nice, but if she was honest with herself, she really didn't know if she had the energy for that today. Also, she wished that Nathan could've told her about it sooner, but on the other hand, she couldn't blame him either after what they'd been going through the last couple of days.

The thought of Nathan made her eyes snap open. Where the hell was he? When she thought about it, she hadn't heard anything after she'd came back home. She would've thought that he would be here, at least that's what he'd told her in his text. She turned her head to look for her phone, but inwardly cursed when she remembered that it was left in her bag downstairs. She sighed and sunk her body lower in the water. She told herself that she could sit here for at least another 15 minutes. And if he hadn't come home by then, she would go downstairs and call him. Right now, she needed this.

"Hey baby."

"Oh my God!" Haley jumped in the water and held her hand over her chest. "I didn't hear you get in, you really scared me." She looked up and saw Nathan standing over her, smiling down at her.

Nathan chuckled and haunched down next to the tub. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He leaned in closer to Haley and kissed her softly when she met him halfway.

"Mmm…hey you." Haley whispered and licked her lips, after Nathan ended the kiss. She opened her eyes and looked into his smiling blue eyes.

"I've missed you today." Nathan said and tucked a stray of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I had to work extra today. And I couldn't say no, because people are out sick due to a bug or something. I really wish I could've stayed home instead. Today has been a living hell." She softly sighed. "I had like 15 minutes with Peyton, and that's it."

"I'm sorry baby." He stroked her cheek and felt her lean into his touch. "You look tired, do you want me to call and cancel on Lucas? We can stay in tonight if you rather want that?" He asked softly. "Since I'm going away tomorrow, it would've been nice to have a relaxing evening here, just the two of us." He added.

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired, but isn't it a little late to cancel on them now? We could always go and stay for a few hours, and still have some time here after. I don't mind, even though the thought of an evening alone with you is very tempting." She smiled softly.

"Nah, they'll understand. It's not a big deal or anything. Besides the kids are with my parents, so we might even do them a favor by canceling." He winked.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Haley chuckled. "No, but but only if you're sure. I mean, I don't want us to cancel if they've already started something, that's just mean. But if you decide to call Lucas, you could always ask him." She felt the excitement of a possible evening alone with Nathan slowly start to rush through her body.

"I'll go call him now. You just stay put and relax, then I can go to the grocery store and see if I can find us something to cook for dinner later."

"Aww, that sounds perfect, actually." She smiled at him.

"Good, so it's settled then. I'll hit the store right away, while you're still in here." He smiled back and slowly started to get up.

"Okay, but kiss before you leave." Haley raised her head slightly when she saw Nathan was getting up.

He grinned down at her and leaned back in and met her lips in a soft and tender kiss. He put his finger under her chin and deepened the kiss when he felt Haley starting to pull back. He came to think that he hadn't kissed her all day, and he really had missed her, especially her lips.

After a few, extended seconds he drew back slightly and heard Haley let out an almost silent sigh. "I'll be right back. I love you." He whispered softly and straightened up.

"I love you too, Nathan." Haley mumbled back with her eyes still closed. She could still feel the kiss linger on her lips, and all the way down to her toes. It made her even more hazy than she already was from sitting in the warm water.

She let out a content sigh and leaned back into the tub again as she heard Nathan leave the house. Suddenly, she somehow felt less exhausted. And she knew exactly what was the reason for that.

* * *

><p>"Brooke? Are you in here?" Lucas asked as he walked into the bedroom.<p>

"In here." He heard from inside the bathroom.

He walked past the bed and peeked his head inside. "Hey, what are you doing?" A smile formed when he saw Brooke on her knees in front of the toilet, scrubbing furiously.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She blew a stray of hair away from her face that had loosened from behind her ear. She turned her head to look at Lucas for a second before she turned around again to focus on what she was doing. "Did you want something or did you just come in here to watch me do all the dirty work?" She then asked with a slight annoyance in her voice.

Lucas chuckled by her tone, in which he could totally understand. He too, would've been more than annoyed if he had to do this job.

"Actually, Nathan just called and canceled on us tonight."

Brooke finished and got up on her feet. "Oh, really? Why? Did something happen?" She asked as she rinsed the toilet brush before she put it back into the holder.

"He didn't say much, except that Haley was really tired, and since he's leaving tomorrow, they just wanted to spend the evening at home." He shrugged.

"I guess that's fair. Besides, they'll come here next week for Thanksgiving anyway." She discarded the gloves and put them away and then turned to face Lucas again. "You know what this means, right?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

Lucas looked at his wife and smiled. "Well, let's see. No kids. You and me, alone. I guess that means more food for us!" He exclaimed in a joking tone.

Brooke raised her eyebrow. "And food was the first thing that entered your mind?" She questioned him. Well aware that he was joking, but two could play at this game.

"Well, what did you have in mind then?" He challenged her.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess when I think about it, I'm also kind of hungry. So why don't we go downstairs and get started on dinner?" She brushed past him while looking at him, trying to contain her smile. She knew he was about to crack, he was never good at playing this for too long, he was so easy.

She stopped in the door and turned around. "Are you coming, honey?" Her tone was light and slightly flirtatious.

She heard him groan when he picked up the tone in her voice, and the next thing she knew, he was pushing her body into the bedroom towards their bed.

He captured her lips after they'd fell down onto the bed, and heard Brooke moan instantly by the contact. "I guess the dinner can wait. I'm not that hungry anyway." He mumbled against her lips.

Brooke giggled and put her hands at the back of his neck, brushing her fingers through his hair. "I honestly thought I had to work a little harder to get to you this time, but I guess not." She said as Lucas started to work his lips over her neck.

"You're simply too irresistible to me, and that sexy voice of yours…" He trailed off and kept sucking at her pulse point.

Brooke's breath got caught in the back of her throat when he found a weak spot. She trailed her hands down his back and started to pull at his shirt. "I can keep talking if you want." She whispered huskily into his ear and pulled his shirt further up.

Lucas sat up and quickly took off the shirt and threw it on the floor before he lowered himself back on top of her. He had just found her lips again when the house phone rang loudly.

"Ughh, fucking shit!" He groaned out loud. Making Brooke to let out a small laugh. "Let the machine take it." He said and went for her lips again, but Brooke halted him with her hands on his chest.

"No, wait. It could be your parents. Maybe something happened to one of the kids." She pushed him off and got up. "I have to take this." She said and ran over to the phone.

Lucas remained on the bed for another minute, silently swearing to himself, as he heard Brooke walk out of the bedroom, talking on the phone. Strike one, he thought with great annoyance. It obviously didn't matter whether the kids were here or not, they still managed to interfere with his sex life in some way or another. He slowly got up and found his shirt and pulled it over his head, before he sullenly walked out of the room, following his wife's voice downstairs.

* * *

><p>Haley had spent her time in the bathroom after she'd gotten out of the bathtub. She had throughly rubbed every inch of her skin with lotion and cleansed her face with a new cream she'd found earlier this week. She'd realized she still had most of her clothes in her apartment, so she only had a simple, white tank top that was clean and a pair of grey sweatpants that was laying around here. But she didn't think Nathan would mind. After all, they were just going to stay in the rest of the night, so it didn't matter what they were wearing. She also found Nathan's black hoodie and put it on. It was too cold to walk around in nothing but a tank top, and she loved wearing Nathan's sweatshirts, with the smell of him surrounding her all the time. She glanced at herself one last time in the mirror and felt that she looked presentable enough. She walked through the bedroom and headed downstairs.<p>

A big smile spread across her face, when she entered the kitchen. She shuffled her feet over to Nathan that was hunched over a cutting board at the counter, with a knife in his hand. She placed her hand at his lower back and looked around him to see what he was cutting. "Hey, what are you making us?" She asked and rubbed her hand softly up and down his back.

"There you are!" He turned his head an smiled at her. "Did you get some of your energy back?" He asked and leaned in closer to her to give her a kiss on her forehead. But Haley had already raised on her toes and met him halfway, and claimed his lips with hers. She grabbed the front of his shirt with her free hand to pull him a little closer.

Nathan had to stop what he was doing with the knife when he felt Haley grasp at his shirt and extend the kiss. When she pulled away slowly he had to take a second to catch up with his breath. He opened his eyes and saw that Haley was already on the other side of the counter. God damnit, she really didn't know the effect she had on him. And when he noticed she was wearing one of his sweatshirts, he had to swallow hard and choke down a groan. She looked so incredible sexy when she was wearing his clothes. She looked sexy no matter what she was wearing though. Hell, she could make sexy out of a potato sack, he was absolutely sure of it.

He picked up the knife again and continued cutting the vegetables. "You sure move fast." He smiled. "And may I say, black looks good on you." And added a wink at her.

She blushed and held the sweater close to her nose as she inhaled. "I like wearing your sweatshirts, they smell like you." She said shyly.

"Hey, they look better on you than they do on me, so I don't mind at all." He grinned.

Haley chuckled and walked back around the counter again. "So you never told me what you were cooking. Or is it a secret?" She walked next to him and stole a bite of cucumber and put it into her mouth.

"I'm making you a salad, to go with my famous homemade burgers." He said proudly. He was always the one to make the burgers whenever there was a barbecue party during the summer. The burgers, was his one and only specialty when it came to cooking. And he figured he could try to impress Haley, since it was their first official day living together. Even though that would make him look bad all the other days after this one, but he could deal with that later.

He suddenly stopped cutting again and faced her. "You like burgers, right?" His face showed a small tendency of panic.

Haley couldn't help but laugh out loud at his expression. He looked almost terrified when he realized he hadn't asked her earlier if she liked burgers or not. If she would guess, this was probably his only specialty in the kitchen, since he had chosen it all by himself without asking her. And he actually looked like he knew what he was doing. But she thought it was cute and she liked that he wanted to make something for her, their first day living together.

"Yes, I like burgers. In fact, I love burgers." She smiled at him and brushed her hand over his arm.

"Okay, good. Then you're going to love these. You just wait and see." He grinned and went back to cutting.

"I can't wait." She licked her lips and felt her stomach make a tiny growl. She hadn't eaten a lot today, and now, as she saw food right in front of her, she registered that she was in fact very hungry. "Do you want any help? Or do you want me to set the table?" She asked.

"Yeah, you can set the table if you want. Thanks." He said and turned around to turn on the stove.

Haley found the plates and the utensils and walked over to the table. As she placed them out, she suddenly halted and turned around to watch Nathan as he flipped the burgers in the pan. She closed her eyes for a second and took it all in. It then suddenly hit her, that she was actually living here now, with Nathan. This was also her home now, she wasn't just staying over anymore. She felt excitement spread throughout her body and the biggest smile formed on her face.

She got broken out of her own universe when Nathan spoke. "What's up with you? Are you okay over there?" He chuckled when he saw Haley completely zoning out over by the table.

She let out a content sigh and grinned at him. "I'm perfect." She paused for a second and locked his gaze. "Roomie."

Neither of them said anything, they were both staring at each other with big smiles. The only sound that could be heard was the frying burgers in the pan.

Nathan's expression softened and Haley bit her lower lip. "Roomie, huh? I like the sound of that." He spoke softly and turned his attention towards the burgers again. He felt his heart beat fast.

"Yeah…" Haley whispered and continued setting the table when Nathan focused back on the burgers. She felt her stomach doing churns, but this time it wasn't because she was hungry.

* * *

><p>It was later that evening and they were snuggled up on the couch. Haley was laying with her back up against the end with her legs in Nathan's lap. A few soft moans escaped her every now and then, as Nathan was rubbing her feet and legs. A movie was playing on the TV, but Haley had fallen out of it a long time ago, after Nathan had started rubbing her feet. She moved her eyes over at Nathan. He was paying attention to the TV and let out a chuckle when, obviously something funny had happened in the movie. She loved his laugh, and she loved how carefree and relaxed he looked at the moment. She could see a big change in him now, compared to the last few weeks. It warmed her heart and she felt small butterflies swirling around in her stomach. She reached out her hand and palmed one of his hands that was lying flat on her thigh, right above the knee.<p>

Nathan tore his gaze away from the TV and over to Haley, when he felt her soft hand on top of his own. He smiled at her when he saw her relaxed form staring right back at him with a loving smile.

"Everything alright, baby?" He asked her after a few seconds.

Haley scooted her butt closer to Nathan and leaned forward so her head was resting on his arm. "I just love to hear you laugh." She spoke low and intertwined their fingers. She tilted her head and looked up into his eyes. She saw that he moved his gaze down to her lips and automatically licked them in response. There was a sudden shift of the atmosphere, and Haley couldn't stop herself from leaning up and capture his lips. She kissed him soft at first and worked on his lower lip. When she felt him take her upper lip between his own, she shifted herself even closer to him. It still wasn't close enough, so she raised herself up and crawled over his lap so that she was straddling him.

Nathan's hands took a hold of her waist, and neither of them wasted much time on finding each others lips again.

Haley raked her fingers through his hair and got a groan out of him in response. She felt his tongue tease the seam of her lips and gladly opened them up to let him in. She let out an almost silent moan when she felt his wet tongue starting to massage her own tongue, while he increased the pressure of his hands around her waist.

When air became too much of an issue, Nathan moved his lips away from her lips and moved around behind her ear. He sucked the sensitive skin right under her earlobe and felt her shiver in his lap. He smiled against her smooth, delicate skin and moved his hands up at her sides, lining her curves until he reached right under her arms. He moved one of his hands and cupped the back of her neck and moved his lips further down towards her pulse point. He could hear her breath getting heavier and her hands around his neck squeezed his head tighter.

"Oh, that feels good…" Haley coaxed out when Nathan found one of her weak spots on the side of her neck. She moved her hands through his hair at the nape of his neck and held on to it, as if her life depended on it. They were still only on first base, and already she felt like she was about to explode in his lap. She felt his lips move to the underside of her jawline and grabbed his face with her hands so she could face him.

Nathan looked questionable at her when she stopped him mere centimeters from her own face. Her lips were red and swollen and her eyes were sparkling as she stared intently into his eyes.

"I don't want you to leave me tomorrow." She whispered low and stroked his cheekbone with her thumb as a tiny pout appeared in her face.

Nathan stroked her arms and felt his chest sink at her honest and vulnerable confession. "I know. I wish I didn't have this trip right now. The timing with everything couldn't get any worse." He sighed.

"I just wish you could help me moving my stuff, and I really want you to be around for my first days here, you know." Her pout increased and she sighed. "I know I'm being unfair right now, and I'm sorry for being such a girl…" She laid her head down on his shoulder and nuzzled her face into his neck.

Nathan put his arms around her and held her tight.

"Don't apologize, you know I wish I could be here, just as much as you do. And I don't like the idea of you being alone here for almost a week."

"I know you do. But you don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine here. Besides, I'll probably stay most of the time at work or with Peyton anyway, since she's gonna need some help when she gets released."

"Why don't Peyton come and stay here with you? I know Jake is away for most part of the week too." Nathan asked when he remembered what Jake had suggested earlier today.

"Hmm, that's actually a good idea. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow when I see her. Thank you Nathan." She smiled and placed a kiss on the side of his neck.

"No problem, baby. It will also give me some peace, knowing that you'll have someone here with you." He squeezed her body tighter into his chest and kissed her forehead.

"Mhm, well at least you'll be back for Thanksgiving and after that we'll have plenty of time to enjoy each other as real roommates." She played with the neckline of his shirt.

"Yeah, about that…" He started and then Haley raised her head to look at him.

"What? You're not coming back for Thanksgiving?" She raised her voice a little.

"No, no, I am. But you know I had a meeting with Mr. Walker today where he informed me and Jake about the next trip he wants us to do." Haley nodded her head and watched him intently as he continued to talk.

"Well, it turns out that this is another trip to Europe, France to be more specific." He saw Haley's eyes turn wide. "And it's for two whole weeks." He sucked in his breath and held it in as he waited for Haley's response.

Her face fell and she looked away from his face and down at his chest. "What time after Thanksgiving are you leaving?"

"Monday." He answered after he'd let out his breath. He felt bad about this, and it didn't help when he saw the sad face on his girlfriend. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face. "But hey, listen. We'll have the entire Thanksgiving weekend together and we'll try to make the most of it. You know I wouldn't have gone if it weren't important, right?" He tried to cheer her up a little, even if he knew it wouldn't help much.

Haley took a deep breath and felt her mood sink below the ground. They had just decided to move in together, and they should spend every single hour and every available minutes together for at least the first few weeks. They were supposed to hang around the house all day long and getting used to living together and simply enjoy each other as a couple.

"I know Nathan. It's just that two weeks is really long without you. I was having trouble with the week coming up now. I'm going to go insane, just missing you."

He rubbed his hands up and down her back and looked at her. "Hey, how about we just don't talk more about this tonight, and just relax instead? I don't want our night to end like this."

Haley nodded her head softly and put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Tomorrow was going to suck, and the following days was going to suck. But he would be back for the holidays, and he was still here now. So she decided to try and forget about this for the rest of the night, and appreciate his company instead of sulking and wasting the precious time she had with him.

* * *

><p>It was early the next morning. Nathan was dragged out of his deep sleep to the painful sound of his alarm. He turned around quickly and shut it off, so that Haley wouldn't wake up, seeing as it was only 5:30 am. He rubbed his tired eyes and let out a small groan. He then felt Haley's warm body cuddled into his side and smiled tiredly at the sensational feelings already shooting through him.<p>

He carefully slid his arm away from underneath her, and slowly got up and went into the bathroom suite. He had to be ready for take off at 7 am, and he wanted to have time to shower and eat before he had to leave.

He let the hot water fall in his hair and run down over his shoulders and down his back. The showers in the morning always felt good, it helped him wake up and feeling fresh and ready for the day to come.

He stood still for a while, just letting the water massage his body. The previous night had been nice. They'd ended up cuddling at the couch, just holding each other, until they both almost fell asleep and went to bed instead. He didn't need more than that, of course the sex was great, amazing even, and a definitely added bonus to their relationship. But simply to have her in his arms, made him feel complete. To know that she was okay and safe gave him an inner calmness and an inner peace, and he could live off of that for the rest of his life.

He was completely lost in his own thoughts, that he almost jumped up into the shower head, when he felt something touch his sides and go around to his stomach. He realized soon enough that that something was Haley's soft, gentle hands. However, his heart rate didn't slow down, it rather increased even more after the initial scare. He covered her hands, which was caressing his abs, with his own hands and stilled her movements while leaning back into her body.

"Hey baby. What are you doing up so early?"

Haley placed a soft, lingering kiss on his muscular back, between his shoulder blades and smiled when she felt him involuntarily shiver by her actions, even though he was standing under the warm water.

"I think you forgot that I'm also used to being up this early. Besides, I also somehow sense when you're not next to me, so I couldn't sleep when I notice you were gone." She said into his back, her voice still thick with sleep.

Haley loved his body, his well shaped, firm, muscular body. She was like a moth to the flame every time she saw him without a shirt, and it didn't matter if it was his back or his front. It looked delicious either sides.

She untangled her hands from his and traced them around to his back and stroked him up and down. It felt amazing to simply touch him, and she felt tingles going through her arms and all the way down to her toes.

Nathan couldn't help but stand completely still. He loved the feeling of her touching him like that. It turned him on to the fullest, of course, but it felt so good that it almost completely paralyzed him.

Suddenly it was like something snapped inside of him, he turned around and pinned Haley to the shower wall, immediately attacking her lips with hunger, lust and passion. At first, Haley was a little taken aback by Nathan's sudden movements and change of mood, but she soon started to respond to his kiss as she felt his mouth devouring hers. His hands were going down along her curves on the sides until he reached her thighs. He grabbed around her and lifted her up and stepped even closer to her, as her legs automatically wrapped around his waist. Their lips never leaving each other.

When air became an issue, they parted only a few millimeters away from each other, both were panting heavily. Their breaths mingled, and their bodies were soaked in water. Haley couldn't help but moan when Nathan took a firm grip on her ass.

"Nathann…" She barley got out in a thick voice, before he attacked her lips again and moved along her jaw line and down her neck to her pulse point. She was about to start begging him again, when she suddenly felt him plunge into her, hard and deep. Her head fell back into the wall, and a loud, guttural moan escaped her o-shaped mouth, when she felt him enter her.

She gripped his shoulders to hold onto when he started moving, fast, hard and so deep. She could feel the hunger he had for her in that moment, and she felt new, wonderful sensations everywhere in her body.

"You're so tight baby…God you feel so good." Nathan whispered into her ear as he nibbled on her ear lobe.

Haley raked her fingernails along his water slick back, which only increased his pace. She could feel herself not being far away form her release as he kept hitting the most amazing places within her, with each and every stroke. She grabbed his head with her palms and directed his face in front of her own face. "Kiss me." She needed to feel him on her lips, when she was only seconds away from coming.

Nathan knew she was close, he could hear it in her erratic breathing which had increased amazingly fast in frequency.

She suddenly exploded around him and moaned Nathan's name over and over as she rode out her waves of pleasure. Her undoing tipped Nathan over the edge as well, only a couple of strokes after her, and they both stilled their movements as they came down. They were leaned into the wall, with the warm water still running and soaking their connected bodies. Nathan supported his hand against the wall next to Haley's head and tried to control his breathing.

Haley was still squeezing her thighs hard around Nathan's waist and still held onto a chunk of his hair. That was one of the most intense orgasms she had ever had with Nathan, hell with anybody. He was the God of all sex Gods. He never ceased in taking her pleasure to higher levels every time they were together. He was simply amazing.

"You…are…amazing…" Nathan whispered in between kisses, before he slid her down to the floor.

"You're not so bad yourself mister." Haley grinned, her head was still spinning.

Nathan gave her another sensual kiss. "Now, let's finish up in here. I have to literally take off at 7 am, which is gonna be a huge disappointment compared to the one I just had." He winked at her and made her slightly blush. "And then you can go back to sleep before you have your evening shift." He smiled and palmed her blushing cheek.

Haley turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand before she turned him around and started to clean his back with soap and a washing clot.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _So there you go. Like I said earlier, I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but I guess there has to be one of the ones where nothing really happens..anyway, I hioe you still stick with this story, cause I wil finish this no matter what it takes. Promise._

_Thank you to all of you reviewing and reading! Love you all. And I case I can't get a new chapter up before Christmas, I wish you all a happy holiday!_

_xo_


	13. Chapter 13

**AN**; _Hey guys! I know it's been a while and I'm sorry about that, but I finally managed to find some time to finish this chapter, so I thought I could start the new year with an update :) and maybe even score a few points from the impatient souls that are waiting for this to continue ;) So here you go, and Happy New Year to all of you!_

Disclaimer; I do not own anything.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

Haley was running late. She couldn't believe that she managed to oversleep for her evening shift, but she had no one else to blame but herself. Still, she had no regrets after the hot shower sex she'd had this morning. If she thought about it, Nathan could get half of the blame since he always looked so irresistible, no matter what time of the day it was. She felt her cheeks getting warm, mainly from the running she was doing at the moment, since she was late, but also from the mental images of Nathan's wet body pressed up against her own wet body in the shower. She felt herself getting all heated up again, and tried to push the thought aside as she ran into the changing room. There was no point of getting herself excited, since Nathan wouldn't be home until Thursday, so she had no choice but to try and cool down.

She quickly changed into her scrubs and white coat, and put her phone and beeper into her big pockets. She double checked that she had everything she needed before she locked her locker and went downstairs to find Dr. Geller. She could already picture his expressionless face along with his cold and condescending voice as she found her way to the ER.

When she got there, she saw him with a patient at the corner of the room. She didn't want to disturb him and decided to wait until he was done, so she went over to the nurses station.

"Hi Haley! There you are." Jen, one of the nurses exclaimed and smiled at her over the desk.

"Hi Jen. How are things here today?"

"Umm, it's kind of hectic, since people are still out sick. But nice of you to finally show up." She joked.

"Ugh, yes. I cannot believe that I actually overslept for this shift." Haley looked down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." She added and looked back at her.

"Ha-ha. Yeah, we managed to survive, don't worry. You're not that late, but I know Dr. Geller has already asked for you." She turned her head and looked over at him, and then looked back at Haley with a sympathetic look. "We tried to cover for you, but I think you can prepare yourself for the "dirty" work today. He didn't sound too happy."

Haley shook her head stately. "Yeah, I have no one else to blame but myself, so I guess I just have to accept whatever he asks me to do today."

"How did you oversleep for this shift anyway? You didn't work last night, right?"

"No, I was up early this morning to see Nathan off, and went back to bed after that." She felt a slight blush appear on her cheeks again, just by talking about this morning.

"Nathan? Is that the hot pilot guy that was in here with that cute little girl? No wonder you're late." Jen raised her eyebrow when she saw Haley starting to blush. "I mean, I would always be late if I was dating a guy like that." She added and winked.

Haley felt herself getting more embarrassed, even though Jen didn't know the reason behind it for her sleeping this long. She was pretty sure she could tell from her blushing face though. She started to pull her hair up into a loose bun on top of her head, and tried to give herself some time to cool down. She shook her head softly when she heard Jen start to laugh at her.

"Oh, I got you didn't I? You got all exhausted from all the sex you had in the early morning hours. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous." Jen chuckled.

There was no way to hide this now, seeing as her face turned from the slight blush into an alarming red color. She turned to face Jen again with a tiny smile. "Ugh, there's no way to hide this from you I guess. But I have no regrets, whatsoever." She winked back at her. "It was hot, I'll tell you." She added with a sly smile.

Jen broke into another laugh. "I knew it! Can you even keep your hands off of him for one second? I remember having more than a few thoughts about that man when I saw him here. I'm proud of you girl!"

Haley turned away and started to fiddle with the beeper in her pocket. She felt a little uncomfortable, and Jen was being a little too loud for her liking. "Please keep this between us. I don't need everyone around here knowing about my sex life." She leaned over the desk and whispered.

Jen held her hand over her mouth and gave her a apologetic look. "I'm sorry. This is the closest thing I get to any kind of romantic life at the moment, so I'm sorry if I'm being too excited about this. But come on, give me a few details." She grinned.

"Dr. James."

Haley turned around and saw Dr. Geller approach her.

Perfect timing, she thought relieved. Now she didn't have to make excuses and deflect the conversation onto something else.

"Saved by the boss." Jen whispered and chuckled.

Haley gave her another smile before she turned around again and faced the older man which was now standing close to her.

She breathed in deeply. "Dr. Geller. Where do you need me today?" Haley asked and hoped he wouldn't make any comments about her being late.

Again he was looking at the papers in his hands, and made a few notes. "Do you know what time it is, Dr. James?"

She cringed and closed her eyes for a second. "Yes. I'm sorry for being late."

He looked up at her briefly and shook his head softly before he placed the papers on the desk. "You know how I feel about this, but luckily for you there's a lot to do today, so I'm gonna need you here. There's a patient coming in now with chest pains, and I want you to take care of that." His tone was indifferent and monotone.

Haley inwardly smiled and let out a short breath. She felt relieved at first, when he told her that she could stay here, but then she registered that he'd said the patient had chest pains. She didn't like chest pains. Chest pain usually meant it was cardiological problems, and she was almost positive that Damian was back at the hospital, even though she hadn't seen him around since that afternoon in the changing room. She felt a cold shiver run through her body.

"Wouldn't that be better to send straight up to cardiology then?" She asked carefully.

"No, you have to do the initial examinations. And then you just page cardio and get one of them down here to work with you, if that's needed."

Haley felt a lump forming in the back of her throat and had to swallow. "Umm, who's on-call today?" She barley managed to ask. She was afraid of the answer.

"I'm happy to announce that Dr. West is back here at the hospital, and he's on-call tonight."

Her breath got caught in the back of her throat, and she felt her hands start to sweat and shake. Her mind went all cloudy and she had to grab onto the desk to support herself standing up. She didn't know what she was supposed to think right now. She didn't want to see him, let alone work with him. Anything else would've been better. This was the worst possible punishment she could ever get for being late, and her oversleeping was backfiring more than ever.

"A-are you sure you don't need me to do anything else? How's the clinic today?" Haley felt her mouth drying up in no time and her mind kept on spinning.

"They'll be fine. I need you here." He simply stated and turned as the entrance door opened up and a stretcher came rolling in. "Here's your patient now, so get to work James." He finished and walked away.

Haley was totally paralyzed. Her pulse was rapidly increasing and she felt herself almost hyperventilating. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She had to control herself now, she couldn't let him get to her, at least not before she had even met him. She told herself that she simply had to push this - him - away and focus on the patient instead. She inhaled deeply and walked over to the stretcher. She could do this, she had to do this.

* * *

><p>Nathan fell down on the bed in his hotel room. He exhaled and rubbed his eyes. He had just arrived to Seattle, and checked in on a hotel close to the airport. He was staying here for the night, before he was flying to Las Vegas the morning after. All these short trips was way more exhausting than the long ones, so he thought it would be best to get as much sleep as possible tonight, since after tomorrow he would have back to back flights for the next three days.<p>

He checked the time and figured that Haley would be at work right now. It was only 6 pm in North Carolina so she wouldn't get off until another 4,5 hours. He had asked her to call him when she had time, because he knew she was busy and he didn't want to disturb her while she was at work. He hadn't talked to her since he left this morning. He had watched her crawl back into the bed with one of her cute pouting faces before he left for the airport. He missed her and she was constantly on his mind whenever he had moments to himself, like now.

He sat up at the edge of the bed, and pulled out his tie and slung it on the bed next to him. He unbuttoned his shirt and got up to find a hanger for it. He quickly stripped out of it and placed it in the closet on one of the hangers he found in there. His mind then drifted back to this morning and he automatically pulled the phone out of his pocket. He smiled to himself and sent Haley a text before he grabbed himself a pair of clean boxers and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He needed to freshen up a little after this long and dreary day.

Nathan was barley out of the shower, when he heard his phone starting to ring. He draped the towel around his waist and ran over to the bed where he left it.

"Hello?" He answered without looking at the caller id.

"Hey Nate. What's up?"

"Oh hey Luke." He felt the excitement disappear when he heard it was Lucas in the other end.

"Way to hide your disappointment man. Am I really that boring to talk to?" Lucas laughed in the other end.

Nathan dragged his hand through his still wet hair. "No, I just thought you were Haley. Don't take it personally." He chuckled.

"I see. Where are you now by the way?"

"I'm in Seattle. And just got to the hotel."

"So you're staying there for the night?"

"Yeah…" Nathan walked back into the bathroom and started to dry himself with another towel while he talked to Lucas. "So what's up Luke? Kids back home yet?"

"Nah, they're still with mom and dad. But they're bringing the kids up here tomorrow."

"What about Brooke?"

"She's out doing some grocery shopping for tonight. We're having a nice and quiet dinner, just the two of us, before the two hurricanes are coming back tomorrow."

Nathan chuckled. "Sounds good. So what are you up to? I sense there's a favor or something coming up, since you called me now?" Nathan smiled into the phone and threw the used towel on the floor.

"How the hell did you know that? Am I that predictable?" Lucas asked slightly amazed at how well Nathan knew him.

Nathan chuckled into the phone. "Luke, come on. You're the most predictable person I know. You're actually kind of boring." He teased.

"Hey!" Lucas bursted out at first. "Ugh, but you're probably right, I need to get more spontaneous and crazy." He laughed and joined in on the joke.

"I don't think you could ever do that, besides wouldn't Brooke turn into a monster if you went all crazy? No offense, but I think there's enough with only one of you being crazy."

"Ha-ha. I guess there should be at least one responsible person around here, and it might as well be me. But for the record, Brooke is not crazy, she's just very excited and energetic sometimes." Lucas smiled to himself and continued. "But anyway, so I was wondering if you could booke a hotel for me and Brooke in Las Vegas when you're there? I plan on taking her on a weekend trip right before Christmas."

"Really? Why would you go to Vegas? I don't remember Brooke as a big gambler." Nathan asked a little surprised.

"No she's not. But don't you remember the last time I was there with her? I ended up proposing to her, so that place kind of have an important meaning to us, even though it's not exactly our kind of place."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I remember you calling and bawling like a baby telling me about it." Nathan laughed.

"Dude, I was happy okay? I'd never thought she would actually say yes. And I didn't bawl like a baby."

"Whatever you say." He chuckled. "I'll take care of it though, what hotel do you want to stay at, and when are you going?" Nathan asked and went over to the small table that was placed under the TV, and found a piece of paper so he could take notes.

He quickly wrote down what Lucas told him, and finished the conversation, when Lucas had to go because Brooke came back. He put on his boxer and a pair of sweatpants, that he luckily remembered to bring, and slung himself down on the bed and turned the TV on.

He felt his eyes getting heavier while he flicked through the channels and let out a yawn. This night wouldn't get much older than 10 pm, seeing as he was already yawning like crazy. He stopped when he found a basketball game that was on and got more comfortable on the bed. It didn't take long until he was fast asleep on top of the sheets, to the sounds from the TV.

* * *

><p>Haley looked at the ECG results in her hand and scratched the back of her head. She was no expert on reading these, but she knew enough to see that this had some disturbing results on the leads that showed the posterior side of the heart. She quickly walked over to the desk and asked Jen to call the cardiology lab and let them know that she was coming with a patient that needed to do a PCI stat, for a possible acute myocardial infarction. She grabbed all the papers and forms that belonged to the patient and went back to get the bed with the patient.<p>

When she got to the second floor and entered the ward, the nurses there showed her directly into the lab and they immediately started to prepare the patient.

"Dr. West will be with you shortly." One of the nurses said.

For a while, Haley had actually managed to forget about him, when she had dealt with the patient, but when she heard the mention of his name again now, she completely froze. Her hands started to shake and she started to feel warm. She was thinking for a second, to just walk back downstairs while they did the PCI. Because she didn't really need to be up here, since she was not going into the OR. So she thought about letting Damian take over entirely. But this was her patient, and it was her name on the papers that had required this PCI, so she simply couldn't leave without at least knowing the outcome after the procedure was done. And this meant that she had no choice but to actually face Damian and talk to him.

When she glanced around and saw the door to the toilet down the hall, she quickly walked over there with short, fast steps. She needed to take a breather to calm herself, and prepare herself for the inevitable meeting, if she could ever be prepared for this. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to take deep breaths. Her hands held onto the edge of the sink when she felt her knees start to tremble.

She could do this. She just had to focus on her job. Be professional and block out any personal problems. She splashed some cold water in her face and patted herself with a paper towel. She balled up the used paper and threw it in the bin.

_Why the hell is he back? And what the hell is he doing here? God, I hate him!_

Haley suddenly felt the anger rise within her body. It wasn't fair that he all of a sudden showed up here and turned her life upside down again. There was no reason for him to be here. And with his qualifications as a doctor, he could've accomplished even more by attending another hospital, with greater potential and possibilities, than what they had here in Charlotte. She looked back into the mirror and saw her eyes start to fill up with tears. She blinked a couple of times to prevent the tears from escaping, when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Nathan. She closed her eyes and forced the thought of Nathan to push away the thoughts of Damian. After a few seconds she felt her pulse start to slow down a little. She opened the text and felt a tiny sting in her chest as she read it. She already missed him so much, and he hadn't even been gone for a day. Nathan was in Seattle and had just arrived to the hotel he was staying at for the night, and he was waiting for her to call him when she had time.

A small smile formed at the corner of her mouth. This simple text from him made her forget about everything, even if it was for just a second. He always made her feel better, no matter what he said or did. The tiny joy she felt after reading his text, was soon replaced by a sadness and a deprivation. If only he could be here right now. She needed him. She wished he would be home right now instead of being far away on the other side of the country. Hearing his voice also seemed to calm her down and give her some comfort, but she didn't have time to call him until after they had clarified this patients condition. She knew it would've helped to talk to him now, but that just had to wait. She sighed and put the phone back into her pocket.

A loud knock on the door made her jump and almost trip over the sink.

"Dr. James! Dr. West is ready to start. He asked for you to come and observe in the gallery." A voice on the other side of the door yelled.

"I'll be right there." She whispered, knowing the person on the other side of the door didn't hear her. But the knocking had stopped, so she figured they went into the lab to start the procedure.

She balled her hands into a fist, to keep them from shaking, and inhaled sharply before she slowly walked out the toilet and headed towards the gallery. She wasn't ready for this, she would never be. But this was her job, and she was good at her job, so she had to face this. It was all about blocking out any thought or emotion she might have that did not concern her patient. She had done it before and she could do it again.

* * *

><p>Haley sat in the gallery, in the far corner, in an effort to hide from Damian's view of sight. She could see his back from where she was sitting, but he still hadn't noticed her. Her foot was tapping on the floor and her lip was stuck in between her teeth. She hoped this would be a fast procedure and that she didn't have to stay for too long after they were done.<p>

The scrub nurses were running around, preparing the equipment Damian needed for the intervention. She had assisted several of these procedures when she'd had her internship, so she knew what they were doing and what equipments they were going to use. She had always had an interest in cardiology, but that had definitely changed after what happened with Damian. Even though he wasn't around, it would always remind her of him, so she had to change her field of specialty because it got too diffucult to deal with. She would still get patients with different heart problems into the ER, like now. And she loved that she could still work with the minor and less serious cases. But today was different than any of the other days she had gotten one of these patients. She hated it. She hated him. And she hated what he did to her.

She moved her gaze over to the screen next to the glass window, that showed continuous pictures of the x-ray scan of the patients heart. The screen was still black, since he hadn't started yet. She kept staring blankly at the screen and squeezed her hands together resting in her lap.

"Dr. James?"

Her pulse increased rapidly and almost shot through the roof, when she heard Damian through the intercom. She snapped her head around and met his eyes through the glass window. His eyes was the only thing of his face that showed right above his mask. And she didn't like the feeling she got when she saw them, the reflection in his eyes was nothing compared to what Nathan's eyes showed. Nathan's eyes were always warm and calm, but Damian's eyes were more angry in a way and otherwise emotionless and cold.

She tried to focus on her breathing and not her heart that was slamming hard against her chest. Her face got all numb, and so did the rest of her body. The only proof of life was the big muscle below her ribs, which felt like it was about to jump right out there, and slam into the glass window in front of her.

"Dr. James, could you step over to the window please?" Damian spoke again, when Haley didn't respond.

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

She released her bottom lip, that was probably all red and almost bloody after her biting down so hard at it, and slowly stood up from the chair. Her entire body was shaking, and she couldn't feel her legs. Yet somehow they managed to carry her over to the glass. She still hadn't said a word, and wasn't even sure if she could say anything at all. Her mouth felt like sand and her breath got shorter and more frequent.

"I know it's too late for you to scrub in, since I have to start right away, but I want you to explain to the interns behind you, the simple basics of what we are about to do." Damian started and turned back around to the patient. "I know how much you like cardio, and I remember you being pretty good at this when I worked here the last time." His voice sounded unaffected and cold, like talking to her was nothing, and like nothing had happened. Of course he had to be professional and formal when in the OR, but still, she knew him and knew what he was up to. She could hear the slight change in his voice when he talked to her, compared to when he talked to the others. This was one of his mind games where he could be in control, in which he loved more than life itself. She hated how he got to her like that. It was like he was able to control a part of her brain and shut down her body completely, so that she couldn't think or speak or even feel anything. She got totally paralyzed.

Haley tried to take a deep breath and prepare herself to speak. She only hoped her voice wouldn't give away how nervous and frightened she was. She made a small cough and cleared her throat.

"Well, it's been a while since I've done or even seen one of these procedures…Dr. West." She was amazed that she was actually able to speak, that she could form words in general. Her voice came out low, but she was sure that they could hear her, since she was standing close to the intercom that hung on the wall next to her.

"This is like riding a bicycle. Once you've learned it, you never forget. Don't be shy, Dr. James. Good doctors never doubt themselves." His voice held a small fraction of condescension when he talked back at her, and she felt tiny where she was standing. She heard a few others chuckle lightly behind her, and she felt embarrassed. It was like he was making her do this, just so that he could make fun of her or talk her down. She felt like she was the monkey in the cage for everyone to stare at and laugh at.

She closed her eyes for a second in order to collect herself. She knew how to explain this, it's just that she didn't want to. Not when he was here, she didn't want him to have the pleasure of hearing her voice. But it looked like she didn't have a choice, so she clenched her jaw and took a deep, long breath.

When she opened her eyes again and saw Damian through the glass, she felt the anger and irritation bubble up inside of her. The embarrassment and nervousness started to dissolve more into annoyance.

"Okay." She started out, more to herself than to any of the others that was in the room. She knew Damian could hear her through the intercom, so she tried to act as calm and together as possible, when she continued to speak.

She turned her body a little so she was facing the interns sitting behind her, but she still had the side view of the OR and what Damian was doing.

"As you can see, Dr. West is about to enter the radial artery in the patients lower arm, and then of course he will ascend the wire into the coronaries. There's another artery that is also widely used for this procedure, do you know which one?" She asked the three interns staring intently at her. She remembered from her days as an intern, that she liked when the residents and the attendings included them more by asking them questions while explaining. It made her pay better attention and stay focused at all times, so she thought she would do the same for these interns.

"It's the femoral artery." A tiny guy with black framed glasses quickly answered.

"Do you know why we rather use the radial artery instead of the femoral artery?" She asked the guy.

"Umm, I'm not sure. But I thought it was better to use the femoral artery, because it's bigger and wider, and therefore easier to move through with the wire?"

"Well, that is true though, it is easier to move through. But the risks of bleeding is less when you go through the radial artery, and the recovery time is shorter. However, if you can't get through using the radial artery, you enter through the femoral of course." She explained. She felt her confidence slowly grow, and felt satisfied that she was able to focus on the interns and the task she was given, instead of the man standing on the other side of the glass. She had to admit that he was right about one thing. And that was that this really was like riding a bike. She even surprised herself a little when she realized she actually remembered most of the details of this procedure.

Haley kept talking and explaining while she pointed at the screen, as images of the beating heart appeared from different angles.

"Ah, there it is. Do you see it?" She said and pointed to the artery on the posterior side of the heart when the image changed. The three interns all nodded and came closer to the screen to take a better look.

The artery was almost completely occluded, so there was no wonder to why the patient had such an intense pain.

"Now, Dr. West will put in a stent to open up the circulation again. And by the looks of the size of this plaque, I guess he at least have to use two stents, to open it completely."

They continued to watch as Damian inserted the stents and finished up. The entire procedure took about 30 minutes, so it was quick and free of complications.

Haley left the gallery and went out to the desk at the nurses station again, while she reluctantly waited for Damian to come out from the OR. She didn't want to face him or talk to him, but she needed to wait so she could get the last info about her patient, before she signed him over to this ward.

She had already started to fill out the papers of what she already knew, when she saw him emerge out from the sliding doors down the hall. Her heart rate slightly increased again, knowing that he would be there in a few seconds. When he approached her, she automatically took two steps back to keep the distance.

She saw that his eyes roamed all over her from head to toes, and she shuddered when he met her eyes with a smirk.

"Good work, I told you it was like riding a bike." He spoke loudly in front of the nurse sitting behind the desk.

"I didn't do anything, you did all the work." She answered short and looked away from him.

The nurse behind the desk took a quick glance at them before she got up and walked away with a chart in her hands.

Damian watched her walk away and moved closer to Haley and put his hand on top of hers that was resting on the desk. "It's good to see you Haley…"

Haley snapped her hand out from under his and looked at him angrily. "Don't you dare!" She held his gaze and squeezed the pen she was holding in her other hand tightly. She kept her voice low to avoid any unwanted attention, but her tone was still firm and strict. "Just give me the last papers on my patient, so I can finish up here and sign him over. I have nothing to say to you, and I don't want to listen to what you think you have to say. You can spare me your bullshit." She moved away from him again and clenched her jaw shut.

"Come on! Don't be like this, I'm sorry, okay? Why don't you just get over it and move on." He sounded a little surprised by her reaction at first and lifted his hand slowly to reach out and touch her. He still had his smug smile plastered all over his face.

Haley quickly halted him by holding up her hand at him, her palm facing him. He was unbelievable. "No Damian! I have moved on. Or I had finally been able to move on and put it behind me, after almost a year of walking around and being scared of you showing up again. And then suddenly, out of the blue, here you are and making a total mess of my life once again." The anger was shooting through her veins, but she tried to keep it cool since they were standing in the middle of a hospital, surrounded by people. Which she was happy about, but she didn't want to make a scene. "And not to mention how you just left me like that, lying on the floor…" She felt the familiar pressure of tears behind her eyes. But she was not going to cry in front of him. He was not worthy of any more of her tears, so she blinked them away before they managed to make it to the surface.

She felt her head starting to pound along with her heart that was thumping loudly. She just wanted to get the hell out of there. She looked down at his hand, and saw the folder of papers he was holding.

"Is that the papers?" She quickly changed the subject and kept her eyes on the folder.

"Yes, but Haley, can you please just list…" His pleading tone was cut off when Haley snapped the folder out of his hands, grabbed the rest of the papers on the desk, and turned her back to him and started to walk away.

"I'll have someone come up with the papers when I'm done." She said dryly as she walked away from a dumbfounded Damian.

Haley seemed calm and together as she walked out the ward and towards the stairwells. However, that was nothing but an external appearance she was hiding behind. She was a complete mess of emotions on the inside. She was so angry that she wanted to cry. She was also a little relieved and proud of herself, that she were able to keep her cool and dismiss him so easily. But most of all she just wanted to scream and hit him. She felt that she weren't able to get it all out properly, since she had to talk calmly to him instead of yelling. Somehow she felt that she could get rid of everything she held inside of her more efficient if she could raise her voice a little.

When she got out in the stairwell, the door behind her slammed shut and made an echo sound throughout the stairwell. She fell with her back into to the wall, held the papers close to her chest and closed her eyes. It suddenly became very hard to breathe and she felt a tiny tear make its way out of the corner of her eye, and slowly run down at the side of her cheek.

_I wish Nathan was home…_

And as the thought of Nathan appeared in her mind, her eyes exploded with tears that uncontrollably spilled out. There was no way to stop them, and she didn't even want to. She had to get it all out before she could do anything else. And for long moments, she just stood there, leaned into the wall, and let out all the tension and all the emotions she had held back, together with the tears.

* * *

><p>Nathan woke up abruptly by the sound of his phone. He sat up in the bed, confused and disoriented. It took him a few seconds to wake up and remember where he was. He then reached over to the phone and answered.<p>

"You know what time it is?" He rubbed his eyes and leaned back into the headboard of the bed.

"Nathan, I'm sorry to call you so late, but I had the worst day at work today. There was no time between patients." Haley spoke softly when she heard Nathan's tired voice. But it felt good to hear his voice. She needed that after what had happened today.

He let out a small yawn. "No that's okay baby. I told you to call me when you had time. And it doesn't matter how late it is, I always want you to call me."

Haley smiled into the phone and stopped pacing around in the living room.

"I'm sorry you had a bad day though. If there's any consolation, I had a crappy day too." He heard her sigh in the other end. "Do you want to talk about it?" His voice was soft.

She sighed again and contemplated whether she should tell Nathan about this now or wait. The poor guy was already asleep and he was due to get up in a few hours again, so she decided not to tell him and avoid him getting stressed and worried about something he couldn't do anything about at the moment. "No I don't want to start my rant this late, since you were sleeping. Cause that will totally wake you up for real, and I don't want to do that. You should go back to sleep. I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you I love you."

"I love you too, Hales." His smile got transferred into another deep yawn.

"Aww baby, just go back to sleep. I'll call you tomorrow instead, okay?" Haley chuckled lightly.

Nathan was almost falling asleep and mumbled into the phone. "Okay, I'll let you know when I'm on the ground. I'm sorry this got cut short."

"That's okay. I'm off tomorrow, so we'll talk more then. Sweet dreams Nathan, love you."

"Love you too, Hales. Goodnight." Nathan ended the conversation and dropped his phone down on the mattress next to him as he slid his body further down in the bed. He was asleep the next second.

Haley put her phone down on the coffee table and stared out in the distance. She wished she could've told Nathan about Damian, but she knew he would worry way too much, and there was nothing he could do while he was away anyway. Besides, she didn't have the heart to deprive him of his sleep, that she knew was valuable to him. She suddenly got a cold chill and walked out in the hallway to check that the front door was locked. She took another round through the kitchen and through the living room, to see that everything in there was locked as well, and turned off the lights at the same time, before she slowly sauntered upstairs to get into bed.

She was glad this day was finally over. That meant one less day before Nathan came back, and only one more day before Peyton was released from the hospital. She smiled tiredly at the thought. It was going to be nice having Peyton staying here while Nathan was away, the house seemed so big and empty when he wasn't around. And if she was being honest with herself, she was also a little scared of being alone, now that Damian was back in town. She was sure that he didn't know about her living with Nathan or if he even knew that she was dating him. She was afraid that he would find out where she lived, since he always had his ways of finding out where she was, so she didn't feel too safe being here all alone. And she didn't want to think about how he might react when he found out about them. She had a feeling he would turn into that jealous psycho he was back then, because it seemed like he still thought that she belonged with him or that he still thought that she would forgive him and take him back. He was delusional if he thought for a second that she would ever let him touch her again.  
>She really had no idea what he wanted out of her or what he expected from her, now that he was back. She had actually thought that he would understand that she wanted nothing to do with him, but clearly she was wrong. And the way he acted towards her made her feel uncomfortable and extremely uneasy. His behavior was highly unpredictable and she had no idea what he might do to her, if he got upset or angry again, the next time they were alone. She shuddered by the thought and climbed into the bed under the covers after finishing up in the bathroom. She snuggled herself into the pillow, with the covers tightly tucked around her, on Nathan's side of the bed.<p>

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><p><strong>AN<strong>; _Thank you for reading and still sticking with this story! I have no idea when I have time to update again, unfortunately. But I'll do my best and try not to keep you waiting for too long. Just remember, there's more to come, so I hope you don't give up on me._


	14. Chapter 14

****Disclaimer; I still do not own anything

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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<strong>

Haley stopped and glanced around the empty room. It looked completely different, now that all of her stuff was gone, and all that was left was the furnitures. It was going to be weird never coming back here again. This place held a lot of memories, both good and bad. Unfortunately, the bad ones had emerged back to the surface, now that Damian was back in town, after her finally being able to let them somewhat go and move on. However, all in all, most of her memories were all good from the years she'd been staying in this apartment. And that was what she was going to try and focus on now, well that, and the future of course.

She had spent most of the morning, packing her stuff into boxes, and throwing away the stuff she didn't need anymore. She had finished in her bedroom, the bathroom and most of the stuff in the kitchen was packed. But she still hadn't touched the living room.

She turned and walked into the bathroom, just to check one last time that she hadn't forgotten anything in there. When she saw it was cleared she went back out to her bed and grabbed one of the boxes standing on top of it, and carried it out to the living room. She placed it on the floor next to the other boxes she had packed and labelled, all ready to go. She silently sighed when she saw all the boxes she had to move out of there. She sure did have a lot of crap, and now she had to move all of it by herself. This was going to take all day, but she was eager to finish this now, while she actually had time to do it. At least she wanted to get all of her things and clothes ready and out today. She needed someone to help her with the furnitures, so she couldn't move those today anyway.

But more importantly, this kept her mind off of things, as she kept busy with going through all of her stuff. This was good, instead of hanging around the house all day by herself, thinking about Nathan and her other issues with Damian and work. Work. She wasn't that happy about work anymore, with his presence at the hospital. She would walk around all day, constantly worrying if she was going to bump into him, or if he would come to see her and torture her with his remarks and disturbing stares. It really sucked, because she loved her job. But now, he made her hate the place. And she hated him for depriving that away from her, and the way he made her feel, so uncomfortable and insecure. It was like he took away the one thing she was good at, and the one thing she loved doing the most. And if he didn't stop the psychological torture he was doing, she had to make a change before she went all crazy. Maybe she should start looking around for a job elsewhere? The thought had been in the back of her mind for a while now, but if she did change her job, then that would mean that he would win, again. He would still have the upper hand and control, like he always had with her, and she didn't want that anymore. She wanted to fight back and take control over her own life again and her own mind. But it was hard, it was all hard. Especially with Nathan away most of the time, making her feel scared and alone when she was around in the house.

Her mind kept wandering while she boxed the rest of the stuff in the living room, and carried them out to the car a little later. She was glad she had Nathan's SUV, because it looked like she would be able to get all the boxes in the car and make it with a single trip.

She smiled happily as she carried the last box down to the car and placed it in the backseat. She closed the door and let out a satisfied sigh. Now she could finally drive back to the house and start unpacking. She felt a tingle in her stomach as she climbed into the car behind the steering wheel. This was it, she was finally making it real. From now on she would actually live under the same roof with Nathan. They would share everything, see each other every single day when Nathan wasn't away. It was almost surreal, but all the feelings that ran through her body right now, told her that this was in fact happening. She had the biggest grin on her face as she pulled out from the parking lot, and turned towards the house, their house.

* * *

><p>Nathan glanced lazily around while twisting the bottle around in his hand. He tapped his foot up and down as he noticed a couple in the corner at the other side of the room, practically having sex with each other. The guy had his hand far up the girls dress, which had ridden up her thighs so he could almost see her panties. He smiled and rolled his eyes as he took a big gulp of his beer. What's wrong with getting a room, he thought and moved his gaze away from them and over to the dance floor. He could easily differentiate between the people who was here to hook up and who was here just to have some fun and dance. Some of the girls were practically acting like sluts, as they were grinding themselves all over the guys that had dared themselves out on the dance floor. But he figured they probably didn't mind. It wasn't that long ago, when he'd actually been one of those guys. He was one of those guys that went out to clubs and bars, trying to find an easy one night stand, and then just kick them out after he'd gotten what he wanted. But as he watched these people now, and saw how they acted, he seriously couldn't believe himself back then. Was he really that bad? He wasn't exactly proud of himself when he thought back at his past behavior. He softly shook his head and inwardly cringed at the thought. He was glad that he'd finally gotten another perspective on life, and that he now knew what he wanted with his future.<p>

But what was even worse than the supposedly single guys on the dance floor, was the guys he saw with a ring on their fingers. They were scattered around the club, with a girl in their lap, which clearly was not their wives. How could anyone ever cheat on their wife? If what they had was so horrible, then why wouldn't they just end it, instead of going around behind their back like that, and most probably end up hurting them eventually? He could never understand people that were unfaithful.

He had always been a monogamous guy whenever he'd been in a relationship, no matter how bad it had been. Even though he'd never really been in love with any of them, he'd never cheated. He might've been close to being an ass in his younger days, but he was still a gentleman when it came to treating a girl the right way. The mental image of Haley entered his mind, and he smiled softly to himself. The girls in this bar had nothing compared to his girl. She was a natural beauty, and sexy as hell, but in a subtle way. He loved how unaware she was of her own beauty. He couldn't understand that she didn't see just how beautiful and sexy she really was. He loved to remind her all the time that she was, which always ended with her shyly brushing off the compliment and blushing like crazy. However, in his eyes, it actually made her even more sexy. And he could spend the rest of his life telling her that she looked sexy, he didn't have a problem with that. It's not like she had low self esteem or anything, but outward she was kind of shy, and she wasn't like other girls that constantly talked about their looks and appearances. She was simply being herself, and that was one of the things he'd noticed early about her, and one of the reasons why he fell in love with her.

He turned back around and faced the bar. He decided he was gonna finish this beer and then go back to his room when he noticed two girls at the other end of the bar, eyeing him up and down, and clearly discussing whether they should go over to him or not. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now, and especially not two young, drunk girls that was here for one reason, and one reason only.

Earlier that morning he'd been in Vegas dropping off a client and booked the weekend for Lucas and Brooke, before he'd headed to Boston, where he was now. He was supposed to pick up a guy right away and fly him to New York, but something had happened and he had to cancel the trip. So now, here he was, alone in the bar that was right next to the hotel he'd checked in to. And he was bored out of his mind. He could've just gone straight to New York, but after the early departure from Seattle this morning, he was beaten, and he needed to rest. He dragged his hand through his black, thick hair and let out a small yawn.

He was just about to take the last sip of his beer when he felt the phone vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out and saw his girlfriends face flash over the screen. He stared at her picture for a couple of seconds before he answered.

"Hey baby."

"Hi Nathan. What are you doing? There's a lot of noise in the background." She asked when she heard the loud music blasting through Nathan's phone.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just having a beer in the bar next to the hotel. I was just about to leave though. It's been a long day and I'm tired." He spoke up, so that Haley would hear what he was saying. He quickly downed the last sip of the beer and placed the money next to the empty bottle, before he got up and walked towards the exit.

"Boston? I thought you were going to be in New York tonight?" She was sure he'd told her that he was supposed to stay in Boston for like an hour or something before he had to continue to New York.

"I was, but the guy had to cancel the trip, because something came up. And I figured I might as well stay here for the night and get a good night sleep before I move on tomorrow morning." He stepped outside and the cool, frisk wind that hit him made him shiver. "What are you doing tonight?" He added and walked those few feet that was between the bar and the entrance of the hotel.

Haley was walking around in the living room, placing some of her stuff around to make it a little more homey. It's not that Nathan had bad taste when it came to interior and decorations, but he was still a guy, and there was a limited amount of ornaments and candles before she came into the picture. So a feminine touch would only brighten up the place. She smiled when she picked up a framed photo of Daniel and Sarah sitting on a swing-set at the playground, with Nathan behind them laughing at something.

"Actually, I've been packing and moving my stuff out of the apartment today, and now I'm unpacking." She paused for a second. "In our home." Her heart fluttered the second the words left her mouth.

Nathan pressed the elevator button in the lobby and felt his chest warm. "Our home." He spoke softly and let the words linger for a moment. "I like the sound of that." He smiled and stepped into the elevator when the doors opened. "But I would've helped you with all the boxes you know. Or you could've asked Lucas or Brooke to help you. I hope you didn't strain yourself."

"No it's okay. I wanted to get it over with, and besides, I was able to make it all in one trip. Well, except for the furnitures and the heavier stuff. That I saved for you." She smiled when she heard Nathan chuckle on the other end.

"You're too generous, Hales. Thank you." He chuckled softly. "I'll take care of it before I go to France. Did you give your notice to your landlord by the way?"

"Yes, I called him to let him know. And he told me to just leave the keys when I've moved everything out, and then let him know. He was really nice about it." She spoke and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.

"That's good. What about everything else? Are you okay being home alone? You sounded upset last night, and I'm sorry I was so out of it that I couldn't talk, but I'm listening now, if you still want to get it off your chest." He spoke softly as he locked himself into his room with the keycard. He heard her sigh and got a little worried.

"It's okay Nathan, that was my fault for calling you so late and waking you up. But I'm okay, kind of…" She trailed off and raised the glass to her lips and took a tiny sip before she continued. "It's just work…and…Damian." It was still hard to say his name out loud, especially when she was talking to Nathan about him, because she knew how much he hated him.

"What? Did he hurt you again?" Nathan halted in the middle of the room. His jaw was already clenching by the sound of that pricks name.

"No, he didn't hurt me. Not in a physical way at least. But I had to work with him yesterday, and I don't like the way he talks to me or looks at me. I feel really uncomfortable just being at the hospital knowing that he's also there, and that wherever I go, there's a chance of me bumping into him. The hospital isn't that big, and it's not like I can hide away all day." She sighed and sat down by the dining table, pulling her knees up close to her chest.

Nathan didn't like this at all. He felt the anger rise within himself when he heard her speak. He could picture that asshole checking out his girlfriend and look at her like a piece of meat, and that bothered him to no end. "What did he say to you Hales? Did he threaten you or something?"

"No, nothing like that. But it's his undertone when he talks to me and his intense stares that kind of scares me. And I'm almost sure that he thinks that I'm going to forgive him and let him back into my life. He always tries to touch me and stand too close to me, when no one is around, and he keeps telling me that he misses me and that I should just forget about the past. Or that I should just get over it, to more precise."

Nathan was fuming now. His body was shaking from the anger that boiled through his veins as Haley told him about Damian's behavior towards her. He wanted to get on the plane and go straight to that asshole and tell him to stay the hell away from her. He could hear in her voice that she was scared and unsure about the way he was behaving, and she was probably scared of being alone right now too. He breathed deeply and tried to control his anger, so that he didn't give Haley any additional stress and worries. There was nothing he could do about it from Boston anyway, so he just had to try and block it out the best he could. But what he wouldn't give, to be able to beat some sense into that jerk, just to let him know how things were supposed to be, if he was still going to be around. Of course, the optimal situation would've been if he could leave and never come back, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen any time soon.

He sat down at the edge of the bed and dragged his hand over his face.

"I'm sorry Hales. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want me to come home? I can just ask Vince to take…" He started out, but was cut off by Haley.

"No, Nathan. You don't have to do that. I'm fine. I'll be fine. I don't have to work tomorrow either, and on Monday Peyton will come and stay here until you come back. So really, it's fine." She reasoned softly. Her heart rate picked up in speed by his consideration and care for her. Of course, she really wished he could be here, but she refused to be that helpless and needy. She could take care of herself, and she was safe in this house with the alarm system and locks on the doors.

"Are you sure? Because it wouldn't be a problem, really. I would come in a heartbeat if you asked me to. And I hate the idea of you being home all by yourself, when he's clearly in an unstable condition." He kept pushing for reassurance.

Haley smiled into the phone when she heard Nathan's worried tone. There was no wonder why she loved him so much. She suddenly felt a big ache in her chest. She wished he could've been here right now, just to hold her. She missed the physical contact of him, the feeling of his strong arms tightly around her, and the way he made her feel so safe, and most of all loved.

"It's okay, I lock the doors and I have the alarm if anything were to happen. But I don't even think he knows where I live right now either, so I don't think he's gonna be a problem. You don't have to worry about me, okay? I love you for it though." She spoke with a tiny pout on her face as the yearn for him increased.

"Okay, if you say so, then I'll stay put. But promise me you'll tell me right away if anything happens, okay? It doesn't matter what time of the day it is. In worst case, I'll get Lucas to come over and check on you." He sighed and paused. All he could think about was how much he wished he was home right now. This is what he'd come to hate about his job after he'd met Haley. The amount of time he had to be away from her, it was hard enough as it was, and this deal with Damian didn't make it any better. He had this nagging feeling that something was going to happen, and he didn't like it one bit.

"I promise I'll let you know if he tries something again. But I doubt that he will, so please don't worry any more than necessary." She spoke softly. "These next few days will probably fly by, and before you know it, you'll be home again. Just try to relax and get some sleep, I'm sure you must be tired from the long day you've had." She added in an attempt to turn the conversation over to something else, she didn't want to think about Damian anymore. She didn't want him to be the controlling subject of their frequent phone conversations. It just made her miss Nathan more than she already was.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll let it go, for now, I promise." He smiled tiredly into the phone. "So what does your day look like tomorrow? Do you have any plans?" He asked and let out a small yawn. He started to feel the extent of this day, as he slowly calmed himself after the rush of anger that had pulsated through him just now.

"Umm, I think I'll finish unpacking my boxes first of all, and then I don't know. At least I want to make the study downstairs into a temporary bedroom for when Peyton is coming. I don't want her to climb the stairs with her crutches." She reached for the wine glass and took a sip.

"That's a good idea, I didn't even think about that. You're actually a lot smarter than you look Hales." He said jokingly and felt a rush of tingles shoot through him by the sound of her laugh.

"Oh, you'd be surprised of my capabilities, there are no limits up here." She continued laughing.

"Well good for me, that I finally managed to find a girl with brains." He said and joined in on her laughing.

"Oh, really? So you're telling me that up until now, you've only been dating brainless bimbos? I'm not sure what to think of that." She said with a hint of playfulness in her voice, after her laughter had subsided.

"Ugh, never mind, I shouldn't have brought that up." He groaned. It was too late in the day for him to dig into his list of ex's right now. So he elegantly steered the conversation away from that. "You should be happy that I don't find you too intimidating, now that I know you're smarter than me. I mean, most guys would probably kick you out, because it's a well known fact that they can't handle it when the girl is smarter or more successful than them." He added with a playful tone.

"Ha! I can't argue with you on that, because it's true. Sadly enough. But good for me too then, that you happen to be smart and successful on your own, so that you're not intimidated by my brilliant mind."

Nathan chuckled. His girl was amazing in every single way. "I love you, you know." His tone turned soft and more serious.

"Hmm, I love you too, Nathan." Haley spoke low and felt the tiny ache slowly making it's way back. "I wish Thursday would come sooner. I miss you. Everything is better when you're here."

"I miss you too, Hales." He sighed. "And like you said, I'll be home before you know it, and then we'll spend the entire holiday weekend together. It'll be great." He said to make her feel better. He slowly got up from the bed, when he felt another yawn resurface, to go and find his toothbrush.

Haley let out a sigh and heard him yawn again. She automatically yawned herself before, she too, got up from the chair by the dining table. "I know for a fact that it'll be great!" Her tone turned lighter and she felt better just by thinking about it, even though Thursday was still far away. "But how about we get some sleep before that, we both had a long day, and you know we'll talk more tomorrow." She slowly padded through the kitchen and living room and started to turn off the lights and blow out the candles she had lit. She also checked every door and window to make sure that they were locked as well.

"That sounds good. I'll call you tomorrow when I'm in New York."

"Okay, call me when you land. I want to know when you're safe and on stable ground again, you know that." She spoke and headed upstairs after she'd made sure everything was locked and all the lights were off.

"I know, and you don't have to tell me that. You know I always text or call you."

"And that's another thing I love about you, that you always think of me. But tomorrow I want you to call, and not text me, okay?"

Nathan let out a chuckle as he applied a dash of toothpaste on the brush. "I will, don't worry. Go to bed now, you goof." He said when he heard Haley yawn for the third time in a short amount of time.

"You don't have to ask me twice." She said tiredly and walked into the bathroom suite. "Sleep tight Nathan, I love you." She spoke softly.

"I love you too. Sweet dreams Hales." Nathan finished and hung up.

He looked at his tired face in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, and let his thoughts go back to what Haley had told him about Damian. He sighed and finished up in the bathroom. He decided not to let it get to him again, at least not tonight. Still, he felt like he needed to take care of this in some way or the other. He really didn't like the way this affected Haley, he knew how strained and stressed out she got from it. But again, it was something he had to take care of later. Right now he needed sleep to be able to function the next day, so he quickly stripped out of his clothes and climbed into the bed. He took a mental note about calling Lucas in the morning, before he gave in to the exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>It was Sunday night and Haley was curled up at the end of the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, reading a book. The house was silent except for the soft crackling sounds coming from the fireplace she had lit up earlier.<p>

She had spent most of the day unpacking more of her stuff, cleaning and getting the room downstairs ready for Peyton. Nathan had been in the air most of the day, but he'd called her every time he had the chance, to let her know he was okay, in which she was grateful for.

Now she actually enjoyed her own company and the book she was reading. It wasn't often she had time to sit down like this and open a book, and simply escape from the rest of the world. It was heavenly. She'd also made a cosy atmosphere for herself, with candles scattered around the living room and a big cup of tea in addition to the burning fireplace. She thought it was amazing how fast she'd adjusted to the idea of her living here, and she was already feeling content about staying in this house permanently. She looked forward to what was coming and what they were going to share together, it was an exhilarating thought, and she felt her blood course through her veins, making her all warm and tingly.

Already the upcoming week, they were going to spend their first holiday together, and they were going to celebrate it with Nathan's family. She was also really excited about that. They were all such wonderful people, so sweet, caring and lovable. There was no wonder why Nathan had become the man he is today. She was truly lucky to have found him. For once she felt loved, and she felt like she had a family now. A real family, not just with Nathan, but the way she felt so welcomed and accepted by his parents and his brother too. It was actually a little overwhelming in the beginning, because the only one she'd had since her parents passed away, was Peyton. But now she couldn't imagine her life without either one of them, but more importantly, she couldn't imagine her life without Nathan. He'd become her everything. Her love, her best friend, her strength, her passion, her laughter, and her soulmate. She felt like they connected on every single level, even though they didn't necessarily liked all the same things. But that was what she loved about their relationship. It didn't matter if they were different in opinions from time to time, or had different likes and dislikes. All that mattered was, that in the end they worked perfectly together, and by the way she felt right now, she knew that nothing could ever come between them.

She almost jumped out of her own skin, when the doorbell rang, and preyed her out of her thoughts. She froze for a short moment, before she placed the book down on the table, and carefully got up. Who could it be this late at night? She felt her heart rate increase slightly, as she slowly walked over to the front door. She peeked through the tiny glass window, next to the door to try and see who it might be. She got even more curious when she saw what it was, and went over and unlocked the door, before she slowly opened it up.

"Haley James?" The large man with a dark green uniform and hat looked at her.

Who knew that she was living here? She was totally confused. "Umm, yes…that's me." She replied hesitantly and wrapped her arms around herself when she felt the cool breeze from outside.

"I have a delivery for you. Could you please sign here." He said and held out the board for her to sign.

"Umm, sure." Haley took one step closer and scribbled her signature across the screen.

"Thank you miss. And here you go." He said politely and handed her, what seemed to be a bouquet of flowers. She couldn't see what kind, because they were wrapped up in paper to protect them from the cold, but she was sure it was flowers.

"Thank you very much." She accepted and took one step back into the hall, and pushed the door closed and locked it.

She felt a hint of excitement as she walked into the kitchen to unwrap the flowers, and hopefully reveal a card that said who it was from. But she was pretty sure it had to be Nathan, because no one else knew she was living here, except Peyton, Jake and Nathan's family. And neither of them would send her flowers like this, would they?

She carefully pulled the paper off, and gasped when she saw a rather large bouquet of white lilies, her favorite flowers. She smiled and put them carefully down on the kitchen counter to find a vase to put them in. She found one that was appropriate in the cabinet next to the large windows that lead out to the backyard. After she'd put them into the vase and filled it with enough water, she placed the vase at the dining table across the kitchen counter. She turned them once, and noticed a small card on the other side. She quickly pulled it out and read what it said.

_I miss you_

She smiled and felt warm tingles down her spine. She really couldn't ask for a better boyfriend. It was such a romantic gesture, and she felt all giddy as she took another look at the nicely arranged bouquet, while she clutched the card close to her chest. Thursday needed to come now. She missed him too, like crazy, and she couldn't wait to be in his strong, warm embrace again.

She stood like that for a few minutes and took it all in, before she decided to bring her book back upstairs and continue reading in bed, before she fell asleep. She also had to remember to thank him tomorrow when she got to talk to him again, since she knew he was in the air and unavailable at the moment.

* * *

><p>"Is they finally asleep?" Brooke asked as she heard Lucas enter the living room.<p>

"Yes, finally." He sighed and sat down next to her on the couch. "Daniel was out like a light, but Sarah was pretty wired up after my parents left, and she wouldn't stop talking about Thursday when Nathan and Haley are coming here." He turned his head and looked over at Brooke, which was resting her head at a pillow on the armrest at the end of the couch, and feet curled up close to her body. He placed his hand on her leg and gave it a light squeeze. "You should go to bed, you look tired."

"Mmm, no I want to finish this movie." She answered sleepily without taking her eyes away from the TV.

Lucas chuckled lightly when he saw her heavy eyelids starting to drop. He knew that she would never be able to make it to the end of this movie, but he knew there was no point in arguing with her. Instead he pulled out her legs and placed them in his lap, and started to rub his hands up and down her calves. He knew how this would go down. She would fall asleep pretty soon, and then he had to carry her upstairs into bed. But he didn't mind though, it was something he was used to after all these years together.

"By the way, before I forget and before you fall asleep on me. Can you pick up the kids tomorrow after work? Nathan called me earlier and asked me to help him with something."

Brooke finally turned her head away from the TV and looked over at Lucas. "Sure. What does he want you to help him with?" She asked curiously.

"It's a surprise for Haley, he didn't want me to tell you. Or anyone else for that matter." He added quickly, so that she wouldn't think that it was only her Nathan didn't want him to tell. Even though he especially asked him not to tell Brooke, because of her so-called "blabber-mouth". It was Nathan's words, but he sort of had a point.

Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. "He asked you not to tell me in particular, right? You don't have to lie, I know Nathan well enough by now." She said and turned her eyes back to the movie.

"Yeah, I'm sorry babe. But you have to admit, you do tend to spell when you should've kept your mouth shut. Sometimes." He smiled and met her smiling eyes when she faced him again.

"Fine, you're right. I probably wouldn't have been able to keep my mouth shut this time either. So it's okay, I'm better off not knowing. And so is probably Haley." She chuckled softly. "But does this take all night, or do you still want dinner?"

"I'll probably be a little late, but if you could save me some that I can warm up, that would be great." He smiled lovingly at her.

She smiled back and held his gaze for a moment. "Of course I'll save you some." She said and stroked her heel up and down his thigh.

"Perfect." He said and turned his eyes at the TV when he saw Brooke do the same.

But he didn't pay attention to the movie. Instead he was thinking about the surprise Nathan was planning for Haley. It was a good idea, and he couldn't help but be a little excited about this. And he was glad that Nathan had asked him to help him out. He certainly was excited about seeing Haley's reaction to it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _I know, finally, right? I actually should be studying right now, but ugh...I figured this is much more fun to do, and besides, we all need to break once in a while. My lazy part tells me, there's always tomorrow.._  
><em>So, what's the verdict on this chapter? Finally Haley is moving out of her apartment, which is a good thing. Damian is still making her life difficult, especially with Nathan being away most of the time. Will Nathan do something about it when he comes home? He's kind of angry right now, not that I blame him. <em>  
><em>Do you think Nathan was the one to send her the flowers, by the way? Or do could it be someone else? Aaand then there's the surprise, wonder what that'll be...this will all be continued when I'm finally done with this exam period! And it's just one more week, thank God! I look forward to finally getting into this story again, for real.<em>

_Seriously, thank you, to those of you that still sticks with this story, and have patience with me. I really appreciate it! _


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer; I don't own a thing

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen<strong>

Haley was constantly looking over her shoulder wherever she went. It didn't matter whether she was at home or if she was at work. It was Tuesday evening, and ever since yesterday morning, when she'd found out that Nathan wasn't the one who'd sent her the flowers, she'd gotten extremely nervous and worried that she might run into Damian. She felt creeped out about everything. She was pretty sure it was Damian that had sent her the flowers. Who else could it be? But what she couldn't figure out, was how he'd found out where she was living. If she thought she had a bad feeling about him before, then that was nothing compared to how she was feeling right now. She was actually afraid. What if he was following her around and keeping tabs on her whereabouts, without her being aware of it? If that was in fact the case, then he was a bigger psycho than she'd thought. She slightly trembled by the thought, as she made her way up to the cafeteria to get a quick snack.

So far she had been able to avoid meeting him, but she figured it was only a matter of time before she would have to face him. Hopefully she would make it through these last few hours tonight, without having to see him. At least she had Peyton with her when she was home, which made her feel safer. But it's not like she couldn't rely on her every time Nathan was away, she had her own life to get back to, and she had Jake. The fact that Jake was away right now too, was also a major reason for Peyton staying with her. But Haley loved every minute she could get with her best friend, no matter what the circumstances was. Ever since she'd met Nathan, and Peyton had met Jake, they hadn't really had much time to hang out like they did before. And with Peyton's accident on top of it all, it just got hard to find a good time where they could stop what they were doing and escape into their own universe. But no matter what, they would always have each others backs and be there for each other. Nothing, no guy, no time apart, could ever take away the special bond they had, and Haley was forever grateful for that.

She smiled softly to herself when she thought back on the earlier text she'd gotten from Peyton, that had told her that she was going to make her dinner for when she got home after work. The first word that had entered Haley's mind, was disaster. For one thing, Peyton hopped around on crutches. And trying to picture her around the kitchen, making food, was something she had a hard time doing. And the fact that Peyton was well known for her lack of cooking skills, had Haley a little bit worried about the outcome. Still she was curious and a little thrilled to see the result. As long as the result wasn't a burned down kitchen, then she would be satisfied. She might even get pleasantly surprised, or she might end up getting a good laugh. Either way, it was very sweet of her to at least try.

* * *

><p>"You still don't want to tell me what it is, that Nathan is planning for Haley?" Brooke tried again. She was curious as hell, and it bothered her that she didn't know what Lucas was out doing yesterday. She regretted that she hadn't nagged him more about it when he'd told her about it the previous night. She was almost positive that he would've caved if she had, knowing that she had that kind of power over him, but unfortunately she'd been too tired at the time. And now he avoided her like the plague every time she tried to mention it, or at least he was very quick to change the subject.<p>

She walked over to where he was sitting on the couch reading a paper, and put her hands on his shoulders. She started massaging him and leaned her head down right next to his ear.

"Come on baby, I know you want to." She whispered and left a soft kiss right under his earlobe. She inwardly gloated when she felt him shiver by her actions. He was so going to lose this now if she kept going, and she had every intention of keeping this up.

She increased the pressure a little on his shoulders and felt him involuntarily tense up.

"Ouww, you hit a spot right there, but it feels good." Lucas choked out and let the paper fall down in his lap. "Please don't stop." He pleaded.

"You know, I was thinking…" Brooke kept massaging his shoulders with the right pressure so he wouldn't be in too much pain, and still held her head next to his. "I could give you a full body massage later tonight, after the kids have gone to sleep. That is, if you want me to?" She purred into his neck and trailed a few kisses around towards his cheek.

Lucas suddenly took hold of one of her hands. He pulled at her so that her upper body was hanging over the back of the couch, and tilted his head so they were face to face. "I'd like that. No actually, I'd love that." He spoke low and leaned closer to her face. "But I'm still not telling you." He added and gave her a soft kiss on her lips.

Brooke got caught off guard at first, that he'd actually managed to see through her scheming. But quickly regained her game face, because she was not giving up on this that easily. Once she had her mind on something, she rarely stopped until she got what she wanted.

"Oh, that's fine honey. I might even let you give me a full massage as well, when I'm done with you." Her tone turned husky and she licked her lips when she noticed Lucas' eyes were watching her mouth as she spoke. She leaned in and gave him a long, tender kiss, before she straightened up and slowly walked away. "I'm going to start the process of getting the kids into bed. Care to help me?" She yelled over her shoulder, and swayed her hips as she walked towards the stairs for extra attention, since she knew Lucas was looking at her walking away. She smiled with triumph when she heard Lucas getting on his feet in a hurry and run after her. He was too easy to manipulate. By the end of the night, she was sure that she would know what Nathan's surprise was. Her poor husband didn't even know what he was in for.

* * *

><p>Haley was almost done with her shift, and was on her way to the lounge to finish a couple of patient charts before she could head home. She had actually gotten through this day in one piece and without having to face Damian, even though she knew he was working tonight. She had found out when she overheard a couple of nurses talking about him, and gushing over how hot he was. She had wanted to go over and tell them to stay away from him, but she had refrained herself and instead ended up rolling her eyes at how blind they were. Hell, she had been in their shoes once upon a time, and it was a horrible place to be. But as long as he stayed the hell away from her, she didn't really care who was stupid enough to fall for his fake charm.<p>

She stepped out of the elevator when it reached the floor she was going to, and rounded the corner that led to the lounge. She felt someone grab her by the wrist and pull her into a dark storage room. And before she could even think, scream or react in any way, her body was pressed up against the wall - again, and she felt a pair of lips on her own - again. She couldn't believe that this was happening all over again. It took her a couple of seconds to collect her thoughts, and when she was finally able to really comprehend what was going on, she dropped the charts on the floor, and raised her hands to try and push him away. Her pulse was rapid and her sight was blurry from being in the dark room. She tried to focus hard, when all of a sudden she halted her movements and melted into the wall as her palms touched his chest. She felt his hand that was resting on her hip slowly slide over to her stomach and rub small circles there with his thumb.

Was this real? Her heart rate increased together with every thought that went through her mind. But the feeling of her hands on his chest, his scent, and more importantly, his lips against her own. She couldn't mistake this.

_Nathan_.

She closed her eyes to take it all in, and slowly but surly, she started to respond to his kisses. God, she had missed this. She grabbed tightly onto the collar of his shirt, afraid that he might disappear unless she held on to him. A low moan escaped her when he pulled back from her lips. She opened her eyes and met his shining, blue eyes as he rested his forehead against hers. They were both panting heavily, after sucking the air out of each others lungs.

Haley raised her hand and palmed his cheek. She leaned in and gave him another soft, lingering kiss. She smiled against his lips, when she felt the familiar contours of his face, that was now a little stubbly. "Nathan, what are you doing here?" She whispered and loved how he still kept tracing his hand around her stomach and waist. "Not that I complain that you're here, but I should be kicking your ass for scaring me like that. You know my history of being pulled into rooms like that." She wasn't mad at him, but he should've known better than to drag her into the room like that. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute from the scare.

"I'm so sorry baby, my mind got completely clouded when I first saw you coming down the hall. And when I actually were able to use my brain, it was too late, you were already in my arms…and I was kissing you…and…you have no idea how good it felt to kiss you again, Hales." Nathan spoke low and moved his lips down to her cheek and trailed small kisses around to the side of her neck. "You taste so good." He mumbled against her skin. He felt really bad about the way he scared her. He just couldn't think straight when he saw her walk down the hallway. She looked so beautiful. He had missed her, and been worried sick about her when she had told him about the flowers, so he had simply lost all rational thoughts.

Haley hitched her breath when he found one of her weak spots below her ear and kept going with his ministrations down the column of her neck. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access and held on to his biceps. She felt him lean his body into hers so she got pressed even harder into the wall. But all she could focus on was the feeling of his body against hers, and the magic his lips were doing to her neck. It felt like she was about to burst into fire.

She was suddenly able to focus again when Nathan stopped kissing her neck for just a second. "Nathan…" She prodded and squeezed his arms. Still she had no idea to why he was home already. He was supposed to be away till Thursday, and it was only Tuesday today. She just hoped he hadn't cancelled his flights because of her. "Why are you home so soon? I didn't expect you until Thursday." She looked into his eyes when he pulled back from her neck.

"I was worried about you, and I missed you." He whispered.

"Nathan!" Haley exclaimed with disappointment in her voice, and pushed him slightly away from her. "You can't abandon your job just because you worry about me. I can't let you do that. Besides, I was doing just fine." She stated and looked him sternly. Of course she loved how protective he was, but he couldn't keep throwing everything away and come flying to her every time there was the slightest problem.

Nathan looked at her serious expression, and started to laugh.

Haley knitted her eyebrows together and looked at him confused when he started to laugh at her. "What's so funny about that? I'm serious." She felt herself getting a little irritated over his behavior at the moment.

When he didn't stop, she gave him another shove in the shoulder. "Nathan!"

"I'm sorry." He got out as his laughter started to subside. Damn, she was cute when she was angry. Hell, she was cute no matter what she did, he thought to himself.

"I'm sorry okay, I was just kidding. Actually, the client that I was supposed to fly for the next two days, cancelled on me last night. So here I am." He flashed her one of his genuine, beautiful smiles that made her go all weak in the knees. "Or maybe you don't want me here…?" He added, knowing exactly what her answer to that would be.

"Nathan…" Haley breathed out and instantly felt bad for snapping at him like that. She moved one of her hands to the back of his head and ran her fingers through his short hair at the nape of his neck. "Of course I want you here, you know that." She smiled and looked at him through her eyelashes. "I just don't want you to let me getting in the way of your job. Your company. I mean, I don't want to be the reason for you turning poor when your business goes out of, well, business." She added jokingly and pulled her lower lip between her teeth.

Nathan chuckled and put his index finger under her chin and directed her gaze towards his. "You don't have to worry about me getting poor, baby. Besides, I have you as my sugar mama now, right?" He inched his face closer to hers so their breaths were mingling. He moved his gaze down to her red, swollen lips for a second and saw her slowly lick them with her delicate tongue.

"Well in that case, you have to let mama finish her job, so that she can still feed you when we get home." Her tone turned huskier at the end of the sentence, so that he would get the double meaning of what she was saying. She let out a small giggle when she heard Nathan groan, meaning her message had gotten through. Her giggles was soon muffled when his lips was fast back on hers again. His tongue teased the inner side of her upper lip and she granted him access immediately. They explored each others mouths and let themselves completely melt into each other for long moments. They were both panting heavily when they eventually had to break apart for air - once again.

Haley supported herself up straight by holding tight onto Nathan's shoulder. Her eyes were still closed and she felt Nathan's warm breath on her forehead before he placed a soft kiss there. "You're a dirty player, Haley James." He whispered against her skin, his voice thick with lust.

She smirked and moved her palm down from his shoulder and across his muscular chest. Her entire body was still tingling from the intense kiss they'd just shared, and by the feeling of his perfect sculpted body under her touch. She moved her hand further down across his abs and stopped by the lining of his pants to grab his belt buckle. She pulled his lower body all the way into hers and directed her mouth towards his ear. "Give me ten minutes to finish this, and then I'll let you take me home." She whispered huskily and placed a wet kiss at his earlobe. She then let go of him and bent down to pick up the charts she'd dropped on the floor, before she turned and walked slowly out of the room. She halted in the doorway and turned her head to look at him. "Are you coming?" She asked with a sexy smile and started to walk down the hall. She had almost reached the end of the hallway where the lounge was, when she finally heard Nathan emerge the storage room, and follow her with quick steps. She knew he needed a couple of seconds to pull himself together, and when she was walking into the lounge she looked to the side and met his hungry eyes from down the hall. She chuckled softly and thought that this was going to take more than ten minutes to finish. But she couldn't care less. Nathan was home again, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>Lucas was in the seventh heaven. His wife's gentle hands kept sliding and rubbing over his neck and back in the most wonderful way. He let out a loud groan, when she increased the pressure on the side where it hurt the most.<p>

"Does it hurt baby?" Brooke asked, and changed the pressure of her hand.

"It's a little sore right there, but it's still good." His mind was hazy and he was barley able to speak. He needed to make her do this more often, he thought while he lay there, sprawled out on their bed on his stomach, with Brooke straddling his upper thighs.

She leaned forward and moved her hands across his shoulders and down his upper arms, and whispered low in his ear. "Do you want to move this into the shower, to get the oil off your back?" She lingered in front of his ear and breathed heavily. She knew it was mean of her to use him like this, just so that she could get him to tell her Nathan's secret. But to be honest, she had also gotten a little turned on by Lucas' response to her massage, so it turned out that she kind of needed him for more than one reason tonight.

Lucas shivered by the feel of Brooke's breath against his ear and her sultry voice. He turned his head and met her eyes. He knew exactly what her eyes were saying, and he felt something stir in the pit of his stomach. "Are you saying you want to join me in the shower?" He smirked at her and got turned on even more than he already was from her massage.

"Hmm, either that, or I could check and make sure the kids are sleeping while you're in there, and then you could join me back here?" She raised her eyebrow suggestively to him.

Lucas took a hold of her wrist, and flipped her over on the bed in one quick motion, before he hovered above her. "Give me five minutes." He said and gave her a soft kiss, before he was sprinting into the bathroom suite.

Brooke stayed on the bed for a few seconds, laughing to herself at how eager Lucas was. It was very clear that he was on the same track as her, and she felt the stirring in her lower abdomen increase in intensity as she thought about what was waiting her in a matter of minutes. She slowly got up and padded out in the hallway to quickly check on Daniel and Sarah.

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><p>Haley turned her head and looked over at Nathan. His eyes were focused on the road in front of them, and his hand was clutching the steering wheel hard. She leaned her head back into the seat, and a soft smile formed across her lips. He looked like a man on a mission. She couldn't really blame him after all the teasing she had done earlier, both in the storage room and later in the lounge, while she was finishing her patient charts. On the other hand, he kind of got what he deserved, because he kept distracting her while she was trying to finish quick so they could go home. But as it turned out, what was supposed to only take about ten minutes to finish, took her more than forty minutes, all thanks to the man sitting next to her right now.<p>

She reached over and took his free hand in hers. She laced their fingers and felt tingles going through her hand and arm, by that simple touch.

Nathan gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand before he turned his eyes back to the road. "What are you thinking about?" He asked.

"Nothing, just that I'm glad you're home again…" She answered and still kept her eyes at his beautiful profile.

Nathan was just about to say something when Haley shot in quickly. "Oh, shoot. I forgot that Peyton is at our house right now, and she's making me dinner." She was really looking forward to finally have Nathan home, and have an evening just to themselves. But it's not like she could throw Peyton out on her crutches, just so that she could get her needs satisfied. She blushed by her own thoughts, and shook her head softly. Dammit, she had it so bad for this guy, that she actually forgot all about her best friend that was currently hopping around on crutches and was depended on her help. She got broken out of her thoughts when Nathan spoke up.

"So? She's not sleeping in our bed, right?" Nathan got worried that Haley might have let Peyton share bed with her, and that he might have to sleep on the couch, alone.

"No, she doesn't. But I'm not gonna have sex with you while she's under our roof, Nathan. That's too embarrassing. We just have to wait till Jake gets back and he'll come and pick her up."

"What? Haley, come on! She's not even sleeping on the same floor, so it doesn't matter if you're a little loud." He looked at Haley with desperation in his eyes.

Haley gasped and swatted his arm. "There's no way that we're having sex tonight, Nathan. And I am not loud! Am I?" She felt her cheeks getting warm by embarrassment, cause she knew he was right. She had the hardest time controlling her sounds when she was with him, but that was only because he made her feel the most incredible things when they were making love. There was no way she could deny that.

"Hales…" Nathan chuckled when he saw her red cheeks.

"Ugh, okay fine, so I'm a little loud. " She huffed out. "But we are not doing it tonight. Period. You just have to settle with cuddling tonight, mister." She told him sternly and looked out the window and realized they were almost home.

Nathan turned the car into the driveway in front of the house, and waited for the garage door to open up. He turned his head and looked at Haley, which was staring out in front of her. "You realize you turned me on even more by this talk, right? It's gonna take a long, cold shower for me to be able to settle with cuddling tonight." He said and slowly drove the car into the garage after the door had opened completely.

"If that's what it takes to cool you down, then fine by me." Haley chuckled and leaned over and kissed his cheek, before she grabbed her bag and jumped out of the car.

Nathan shook his head and smiled after her. This was going to be a long night, but at least he was home again and that was the most important thing. He took a deep breath before he got out of the car and followed her into the house.

What neither of them were able to notice, was the car stopping on the opposite side of the road, next to their house, and the pair of eyes following every move they made.

* * *

><p>Haley was sitting leaned into the headboard of their bed, reading a book. She had changed into her tank top and sleeping shorts, her reading glasses was on and her hair was pulled up in a messy bun at the top of her head. Her free hand was absentmindedly playing with Nathan's hair, as he laid across her lap and lower abdomen, with his cheek resting against her stomach.<p>

After they'd eaten and chatted a few hours with Peyton, Nathan had excused himself to work out before they would call it a night. Like he had whispered so only Haley could hear him; he needed to get his mind off of things, so he had to do a little weight lifting to release some inner frustration. He had actually stayed quite some time in the garage, where he had his little work-out area. And both Peyton and Haley had already said their goodnights by the time he was done.

Haley had found her book and settled in bed, while she waited for Nathan to join her. She had almost swallowed her tongue, when he had emerged from the bathroom suite after his shower, in nothing but a white boxer. To her surprise, he had smiled sweetly to her and crawled into the bed and lay himself literally all over her, without saying a word. She had expected some sort of sexual remarks, or begging or whatever it was that would make her surrender and give in to him. And if that had been the case, then she wouldn't have been able to turn him down, not after that entrance. And let's face it, she was just as horny as he was.

Now she had finally been able to calm herself somewhat down, and managed to push the mental picture of Nathan's perfectly toned body out of her head. And not to mention those damn boxers that rested low on his hips, left very little to her imagination. Her hand kept playing with his short, dark hair, and she felt the calm beating of his heart against her thigh.

She felt him started to stir a little, and then his arm snaked under her thighs and took a hold of her legs. He then raised himself a little, and rested his elbow next to her on the bed. He looked into her questioning eyes and gave her a small smirk. Haley let out a tiny shriek, when he suddenly pulled her down so she was laying on her back with him hovering above her. He pulled his arm out from underneath her, grabbed the book from her grasp and placed it on the nightstand.

Haley kept watching him and paying attention to every move he did, with a smile across her face. What in the world was he doing? He then lifted her glasses from her nose, folded them together and placed them on top of her book. When he turned his attention back to Haley, he met her brown, smiling eyes, which sent warm sensations down his spine and all the way back up to his head, making him all light headed. They held each others gazes for several moments. Words were unnecessary. The look they gave each other could tell more than a thousand words. Nathan reached over and pulled out the rubber band from Haley's hair, so her dark, curly locks fell out across the white pillow her head was resting on. He dragged his fingers through her hair and twirled a couple of strays between his thumb and index finger.

It had been several minutes since Nathan had dragged her down in this position, and neither of them still hadn't said a word. Haley was starting to get curious about what Nathan was doing. But she also liked the way he played with her hair, the way he looked at her, and just how he gave her his full attention. She could feel tingles all over her body from those intense looks he gave her. She felt like he could see into her very soul. And that was a good feeling. She wanted Nathan to know every little thing about her, she wanted him to get her completely and fully. And she was pretty sure that he already did. The way he was looking at her right now, stirred something so deep within her, that she had to break his gaze. No one had ever looked at her like that before. And everything she felt at that moment, became too much to handle, so she had to look away. She felt Nathan's hand on her cheek the next second. His thumb traced her cheek bone in slow movements.

"You okay, Hales?" His soft, deep voice made her tremble and snap her eyes back at him. She met his eyes filled with so much love and care.

"Yeah…" Her voice came out barley over a whisper.

Nathan moved over and rested his hip on the mattress next to hers, but he still kept his upper body hovering above her. He placed one of his legs in between her legs and stroked her foot with his own.

"No, are you really okay? I mean, with everything that's been happening lately?" His worrying tone cut right through her, and she felt like she was on the verge of crying by his amount of consideration and worry for her. "You know you really freaked me out when you told me about those flowers." His eyes kept staring at her intently.

Haley bit her lip as she saw the emotions swirl in Nathan's eyes. He was really worried, and she was sure that he could see the fear and uneasiness in her own eyes. She moved her hand to his arm that was resting next her. She wanted to feel the warmth of his skin under her hand. Somehow that made her feel more safe. She also felt him rubbing her foot, and the way he was halfway leaned over her, gave her a sense of calmness and security. The feel of his body, pressed against her own like this, felt so good.

She traced her fingertips up and down his forearm, and released her bottom lip from the firm clench of her teeth.

"I'm not gonna lie to you Nathan, this really scares me. I just have a bad feeling about him, even more so than before." She felt Nathan move his hand from her face and down to her waist.

He let out a low sigh when he saw how worried and scared Haley really was. It ached his heart to see her like this, and to know that as of right now, there was nothing he could do to make this go away.

"I don't like this either. If it was in fact Damian that sent you those flowers, then that mean he knows where you live. And he knows that you're with me. Right?" Haley nodded her head in silence. "How are things at work? Do you think it would help if you approach him and tell him straight out to stay away from you?" Nathan saw the doubt and insecurity flash through Haley's eyes. He knew she didn't want to see him, much rather talk to him. But maybe that's what he needed? Someone to tell him directly to stay away, with that someone being Haley of course.

"I don't know…I'm always uneasy while I'm at work, constantly worrying about bumping into him. And even though I don't see him, I have this nagging feeling that someone is always watching me. Ever since I got the flowers, and you confirmed that they weren't from you, I've gotten this weird feeling whenever I'm in my car or at the supermarket or just going in and out of the house and to the car." She paused for a second and looked down at Nathan's hand resting on her waist. "I don't know Nathan, maybe I'm just being delusional and imagining things. But now is the first time I've felt really safe since Sunday." She looked back into his eyes. "It doesn't help whether there's other people around at work, I just…I know what he's capable of, and it frightens me." She felt extremely vulnerable right now, but it felt good to finally tell him how she really felt about all of this. She did not intend to make him even more worried so that he would stop working, but she needed him to understand and know what she was going through. To know that he knew, gave her some comfort.

Nathan closed his eyes after her last words. She is frightened. How the hell could he leave her now? There was no way that he would let her be alone ever again, until he knew Damian was taken care of.

"But don't you think it'll help if you talk to him, or tell him to stay away?" He saw her drag her bottom lip in between her teeth again, and softly shake her head. "I could come with you tomorrow and talk to him if you'd like? And I promise to have a calm conversation with him, and tell him that if he doesn't stop, we'll get a restraining order or something." He reasoned. "I can't let him keep up with this psychological terror he got going on right now. I see how it affects you, and it hurts me to see you like this." He moved his hand to her stomach and traced his thumb between the edge of her tank top and her elastic band of her shorts.

Haley shivered slightly when she felt Nathan's thumb against her skin on her stomach. She processed what he'd just been saying. She had thought about it before, to make Nathan talk to him, but she was afraid that it might turn into a big fight, and she didn't want Nathan to get hurt, in any way. Maybe she should just try and talk to him herself? It couldn't hurt to try, and if he still wouldn't listen and leave her alone, then she could file for a restraining order against him. Not that she thought he would actually obey that thing, but if he ever broke it, then the police would have enough to take him away. Would that mean that he had to be the one to change his job? This new thought suddenly made her feel a little easier on the inside. She moved her hand around his upper arm, and held on to his biceps.

"Maybe I could try and talk to him first…" She traced off and got lost in her thoughts for a second. "I don't trust the two of you together, even though you say you're going to have a calm conversation." She saw Nathan's lips curve up into half a smile. "I know how explosive your temper can be, and unfortunately I know how Damian's temper is, so let's just say that I'm not interested to find out how that conversation's gonna turn out." She looked up at him and gave him a tiny smile.

"I can control my temper, if that's what you're worried about." Nathan tried to sound convincing, but couldn't really hold back his smile. He knew, and she knew, that if he ever were face to face with Damian, the conversation would be anything but nice and calm.

Haley raised her eyebrows at him and gave him a questioning look.

"Okay, fine, I wouldn't have been able to control myself around him." He huffed out. "But that's because I hate what he's doing to you. I hate how he controls you like this. No one's allowed to treat my girl this way." His voice turned softer and he leaned down closer to her face.

Haley could hear his worried tone and how scared he also actually was. He was scared for her, and it made her heart beat harder against her chest. She palmed his cheek and felt his three-day stubs tickle her palm. She loved this look on him. He got even more sexy and it was like his testosterone came pouring out, making her all warm and hot. Then add all this vulnerability and the protectiveness he held for her, and she was ready to melt away in a puddle right there and then.

"I know you do, baby. I hate it too. But I love that I have you to protect me. Even if it's not every hour of every day, I still know that you'll always be here for me. And that makes me feel safer. I know I can always count on you." She locked his gaze and saw him nod his head in agreement. He slowly raked his fingers through her hair with the hand that was resting next to her head.

"But you have to know that I can also take care of myself, so I need you to promise me that you'll still go to France next week, and all the other jobs you have after that. I can't let you put your life on hold just because of this." She saw that her words sunk in, and that he understood what she was saying. Still she wasn't sure if he would agree to leave her again after the holidays, if the situation with Damian hadn't gotten any better by then.

She suddenly saw Nathan's lips curve into a smile and his eyes changed from the dark, depressing color to a lighter and more easy one. She was about to continue talking, when the words stopped in the back of her throat by the look on his face.

"What?" She smiled up at him.

"Actually, I have a question for you." His smile grew in size and his eyes sparkled now. "Or it's more a request than a question." He kept playing with her hair that was fanning out across the pillow while he looked intently into her eyes.

Haley was confused at first by the sudden change of subject and his mood. But as he kept smiling and talking, her curiosity grew by the second, and the fluttering sensations in the pit of her stomach made her impatient to find out what he was talking about.

She smiled at him and moved her hand from his arm to his chest. She could feel his heart beating fast against her hand. As she held her hand still, he closed the small gap between them and placed the softest kiss on her lips. Haley let out a small breathy moan when he touched her lips. He smiled and kissed her softly a couple of more times before he pulled back.

Her curiosity had increased tenfold after that kiss, and she was about to ask him what he was going to tell her, when he opened his mouth to start speak.

"Haley, I've had a lot of time to think these last few days….you know I already feel bad about being away from you so much, and Damian doesn't make this any easier. I hate that you have to walk around at home and at work, where you're supposed to feel safe, feeling scared and uneasy." He stopped and looked into her eyes that held onto his gaze. "And I hate that I can't do anything about it, until now…" He carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and started to rub small circles on her stomach with his thumb.

Haley held her breath as a million thoughts ran through her mind. The fluttering in her stomach hadn't subsided and she felt like she could almost pass out from all the excitement she felt at the moment. There was especially one thought that kept appearing in the back of her mind, but she quickly discarded it. That couldn't be, right? No, that would be crazy. She kept holding on to his gaze and grew more and more impatient and a little uneasy, the longer he kept staring at her. What the hell was he talking about?

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _First of all, I can now happily announce that I'm finally done with my exams, which means I have more time for this, meaning you'll get updates more frequently - as long as life doesn't get in the way. Thanks again to those of you that have waited with patience and not given up on me and this story._

_Now, about this chapter. I know I left things with you probably wanting more, but I hope I can get the next chapter up very soon and not keep you hanging for too long. Thank you for reading! _


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer; I don't own anything. Still.

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><p><strong>Chapter sixteen<strong>

Brooke was holding onto Lucas as if her life depended on it. She had barley closed the bedroom door behind her after checking on the kids, when Lucas practically jumped her. Lucas hadn't wasted any time, and stripped her rather quickly out of her clothes, before he had lifted her up and entered her almost in an instant.

They hadn't even made it over to their bed. Now she had her legs wrapped around his waist and her back pressed up against the wall. Lucas was sucking up and down the column of her neck, while he slammed into her repeatedly. Brooke met his thrusts with her lower body so he hit her in the deepest and most wonderful places.

"Ohh god!" She croaked out. "You feel so good…" Her voice almost disappeared as he made her entire body quiver in pleasure. She grabbed onto the hair in the back of his head, and directed his mouth to her own. She needed to feel his lips on hers as she got dangerously close to her climax.

"You okay baby?" Lucas mumbled into her mouth. He was worried he might've hurt her by slamming her into the wall like that.

"Please don't stop…" Her body was about to burst and her breath got caught in the back of her throat when Lucas moved his hand to one of her breasts. "God, I'm so close."

Lucas shifted the angle of his hip so he hit a different spot within her. That did it for Brooke as she couldn't hold back anymore and let go of her tight coil. She exploded around his hardness and tightened her grip in his hair. She let her head fall back into the wall as she rode out her orgasm. Lucas followed suit only a few thrusts later and quickly stilled his movements. He leaned his head into the crook of her neck, and placed several soft, wet kisses on her skin, while they both came back down from their high.

It took him another moment before he felt like he was able to move his feet. He grabbed around her thighs and walked them slowly over to their bed. He carefully placed her down and lay himself halfway on top of her.

Brooke traced her hand up and down his back and placed a kiss under his jaw line. "That was…amazing." She whispered into his skin. Her head was still spinning after the mind-blowing orgasm she just had. She was surprised at first, when Lucas had taken her up against the wall like that. She hadn't expected him to be out of the shower that fast, but then again, she couldn't really complain either. She loved how their sex life was still so hot and passionate after all these years together. And she knew now, that it would always be like this between them. Sure, they could go several days without having sex, which was a minor downside of being parents of two toddlers, but whenever they were together it never failed. She felt her heart beat fast as she laid there thinking about how lucky she really was. Her life was perfect, with the most adorable children anyone could ever ask for, and the most amazing husband. She palmed Lucas' cheek and moved her eyes to his face. His eyes were closed with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked and traced the shell of his ear with her fingers.

Lucas opened his eyes and met her gaze. He placed his hand on her waist and traced imaginary circles with his thumb on her delicate skin. "I'm thinking that second half is about to start." He smirked down at her.

Brooke raised her eyebrow at him when she felt his hard member against her thigh. "Is that so?" She smiled and moved her head closer to him. "I thought for a second that the first half wore you out. But I guess I was wrong…" She whispered huskily and lingered her mouth in front of his.

Lucas moved his hand slowly up her side and rested it at the underside of her breast. "Don't underestimate me, Brooke Davis." He spoke low and moved his hip into her side for added effect.

She choked out a small breath when she felt Lucas jerk into her side with the lower half of his body. She leaned in so their lips barley touched. She moved her head slowly from side to side, so her lips were caressing his lips, before she increased the pressure and kissed him deeply and slowly. She felt him respond immediately as she traced her tongue across his lower lip. As their tongues battled with each other, she moved her hand down his side before she traced it back up and around to his chest. Lucas let out a groan when she suddenly pushed him flat on his back and placed herself on top of him so her lower part brushed up against his throbbing erection. She knew now would be the perfect time to trick him into telling her the secret. Lucas kept groaning as she wiggled her hips intentionally so that her center made contact with his hard length. Brooke pulled back slightly and looked down at Lucas. His hands were resting on her hips, and his eyes were glistening with lust and want. She moved her head and trailed small, wet kisses along the side of his neck until she reached his ear.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me before we continue this?" She whispered huskily and let her breath linger in front of his ear.

She let out a squeal and started to giggle when Lucas grabbed her side and started to tickle her. "You're not giving up on this, are you?" He chuckled and buried his face in her neck.

"No-oo…please stop." She laughed and tried to wiggle herself out of his grasp. "Lucas!" She yelped and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, when she realized she might've been a little too loud.

Lucas then flipped her over on her back and covered her with his body before he leaned in close to her. "Sshh baby, you don't want to wake up the little monsters." He smiled and tried to hold back his laugh.

Brooke finally calmed down after he'd stopped tickling her and looked back into his eyes. "I won't if you tell me now." She smiled with a glint in her eyes. "Come on, it'll only take you two seconds, and I promise I'll make it worth your while." She moved her hand between their bodies and down to his member.

Another loud groan escaped Lucas when he felt Brooke's hand wrap around him and slowly stroking him up and down his length. "You're gonna hold back aren't you? Until I tell you what it is?" He narrowed his eyes at her when he saw her lick her lips.

"Mmhm…and the faster you tell me, the faster you get more of this." She said and arched her back up into his, her hand was still stroking him.

Lucas felt his frustration starting to take over as he knew how his wife worked. Damn it, she was good. There was no way he could stop now, and from the look on her face, there was no way that she was going to let this go. He kept staring at her as his mind kept battling whether he should just give in and tell her, or if he should just get up and take a cold shower. He thought about the possible outcomes, if it turned out that Brooke met Haley before Nathan had the chance to tell her himself. Brooke always had a way of revealing secrets even without saying them out loud. Her face would always give her away. However, he could always tell her, and then make her stay away from both Haley and Nathan until he was sure it was safe.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Brooke starting to kiss the column of his neck. He quickly took a hold of her hand to stop her ministrations. He knew that if she kept going, then he would end up coming all over her hand, and he didn't want that to happen.

She pulled back and looked at him questionably when he removed her hand. She could see he was having an inner battle with himself right now, and she knew she was close to getting exactly what she wanted. In more than one way. She felt the anticipation increase when Lucas inched his head even closer to her.

"I hate the way you are able to control me like this." Lucas said and gave her a soft smile.

"Oh, you know you love it." Brooke giggled. "So, what's it gonna be?" She added and placed her hands on his arms that were resting next to her head on the mattress.

Lucas grunted and shook his head, before he slowly moved in and whispered the words into her ear. He was going to get killed if this came out, but right now, that was a chance he was willing to take.

* * *

><p>Haley was plucking around in her salad as she was toning in and out of the conversation the others around the table were having. Her thoughts were no where around the stuff her colleagues were talking about at the moment, which was something about a drunken incidence one of the guys had experienced the previous weekend. She heard him talking about a girl he'd taken home, which ended up to be a complete maniac, and he had to physically throw her out. They were all laughing, and she was sure the story was pretty funny, but her head was just not into it right now.<p>

As she took another bite, those familiar clear, blue eyes suddenly appeared in her mind. Her stomach started to flutter in response, and a weak smile graced her face as she slowly chewed the green stuff and washed it down with some water. She simply couldn't get last night out of her head. It had been buzzing around in her head all morning and afternoon. It was a good feeling though, but it made her extremely unfocused. She had tried to shake it off by several occasions while she was working with a patient, in order to pick up on what they were telling her. But it was hard. She leaned back in the chair and shook her head softly to herself. She wondered if it would always be like this. If she would be completely lost in him, no matter what she was doing. It was completely new to her and it felt a little weird, but it felt amazing at the same time. He was amazing. She felt her skin tickle when she thought about the way he'd touched her and the way he'd looked at her last night. A powerful shiver ran down her spine.

_"Haley, I've had a lot of time to think these last few days….you know I already feel bad about being away from you so much, and Damian doesn't make this any easier. I hate that you walk around at home and at work, where you're supposed to feel safe, feeling scared and uneasy." He stopped and looked into her eyes that held onto his gaze. "And I hate that I can't do anything about it, until now…" He carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and started to rub small circles on her stomach with his thumb._

_Haley held her breath as a million thoughts ran through her mind. The fluttering in her stomach hadn't subsided and she felt like she could almost pass out from all the excitement she felt at the moment. There was especially one thought that kept appearing in the back of her mind, but she quickly discarded it. That couldn't be, right? No, that would be crazy. She kept holding on to his gaze and grew more and more impatient and uneasy in a way, the longer he kept staring at her. What the hell was he talking about?_

_She could hear the sounds of her heart beating loud, and she was positive that Nathan could hear it as well. She saw how he struggled to continue, and got a little confused. She raised her hand and palmed his cheek in order to snap him out of the trance he clearly was in right now._

_"Nathan." Her voice was hoarse and barley over a whisper. She felt her mouth dry up and swallowed a few times, as she saw him focusing back at her._

_Nathan smiled softly at her and leaned into her touch. She made him feel everything. All at once, by a simple touch and those beautiful, deep, brown eyes staring back at him._

_"You know I have to leave for 2 weeks on Monday, right. And I should be excited about that, but I'm not. I won't be able to relax and enjoy myself, knowing that you'll be here alone with that creep running around."_

_Haley let out a quiet sigh as she saw the pain and worry in his eyes. "Nathan…" She started but got cut off quickly by Nathan._

_"No, I know what you're going to say. You'll be fine and I don't have to worry. And maybe I worry too much, but I could never forgive myself if anything should happen to you while I'm gone. I just don't trust the guy." He sighed._

_"I know baby, and I love you for it. But I won't be all alone. I have Peyton, and when I'm at work I usually have people around me all the time, so really, I'll be fine." She reasoned and smiled at him._

_"Yeah, you'll be fine." He returned her smile. "You know, I made a few calls before I came back today, and I had Lucas help me out a little." He paused and saw her look back at him with questionable eyes._

_"I know how much you love your job, and how committed you are to it. So don't be mad at me, but I talked to your boss and arranged a little vacation for you." _

_Haley looked at him confused. "What are you talking about?" She asked nervously._

_Nathan chuckled at her. She was totally caught off guard and looked confused as hell, but it was adorable._

_"First of all, according to your boss, you haven't had a single day of vacation since you started here, and he was more than happy to give you one. And secondly, now I won't have to worry about you, since you're coming with me to France for 2 weeks." He grinned and watched the expression in her face turn from nervous, to shocked, to surprised in a matter of seconds. He gave her a few more seconds to process it all, and saw her eyes widen at him._

_"Really?" Her hand dropped from his face and rested on her chest._

_"Really." He enclosed her small hand, that was laying over her chest, in his own hand and squeezed it gently. "Haley James, what do you say about two weeks in France with me?" He watched her closely as she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. When she opened her eyes after a few seconds, they were shining with tears._

_Haley couldn't believe what he had just said. She was surprised and shocked at first, because that thought would've never entered her mind. As he told her, she had never granted herself a vacation since she had started working here in Charlotte. And she never actually had a reason to do so, until now. She felt her beating heart below her hand and Nathan's soft, warm hand on top of it. How he was able to come up with this and actually get her boss to agree with it was beyond her, cause her schedule was full packed for next two weeks. She looked up at him and felt her eyes starting to prick with tears. _

_"I cannot believe you did this for me…and I would love to come with you! But are you absolutely sure it's okay for me to leave just like that?" She tried to hold back the excitement that slowly appeared by the thought of the two of them together in a romantic European country. "I can't just pack up and leave without knowing that my shifts will be covered. I have a responsibility there and…"_

_"Hales…it's fine." Nathan chuckled. He knew she would immediately think about the consequences about her leaving work, she always thought about everyone else before herself. He loved that about her, but she needed to take care of herself too. "Your boss already cleared you and I'm sure he would've told me if he couldn't find someone to take your shifts. So stop worrying about that now and just embrace the thought of two weeks with me over seas. And two weeks of much deserved vacation, away from all the stress at work. You need it more than anyone."_

_Haley felt the tears push harder behind her eyes, and felt one slip out of the corner of her eye and slowly roll down to the pillow. She ran her free hand through Nathan's hair and rested it on his broad shoulder._

_"You're a sneaky one, aren't you? Still can't believe how you pulled that off without me knowing, but I'm glad you did." She blinked her eyes to clear out some of the tears. She locked his gaze and breathed out. "Do you have any idea how much I love you? I'm falling in love with you even more for each second of every day, Nathan Scott." She untangled her hand from underneath his hand and pressed it against her chest._

_Nathan saw the single tear roll down on her pillow. He could see that Haley started to relax and that the news of her unknown, sudden vacation finally settled in. His heart started to race when she moved his hand over her heart. Now he couldn't wait for Monday to come._

_"So you'll come with me then?" He asked and smirked at her._

_"Of course I'll come with you, dork!" She playfully shoved him in the chest and giggled. After a few moments, it all started to really sink in, she was going to France in less than a week. Wow. She'd always wanted to go there, and now it was finally happening! She grasped his arm and widened her eyes. "Oh my god. We're leaving soon, and there's so much to do before we go! I need new clothes, and shoes, and then there's the holidays in a few days." She started to ramble._

_Nathan broke out in a fit of laughter when he saw the slight panic in her eyes. She had her own way of worrying about every little thing, and this time was no exception. He moved his hand and squeezed her side to stop her from one of her many ramblings. He laughed even harder when she squealed and started to squirm underneath him as he kept tickling her. He finally let go and saw her face all red from laughing and trying to fight him off._

_"Are you done?" He teased._

_She narrowed her eyes at him and swatted his chest. "Was that really necessary?" She asked annoyingly and almost out of breath._

_"Actually, yes it was." He chuckled. "You were having one of your rambling sessions again, and I just needed to stop you before you lost it."_

_"Ugh, I was not. I was just sharing my thoughts about all the things I need to do before we leave, and I don't have much time to do it in, since Thanksgiving is in two days."_

_"Don't stress yourself out Hales. You still have almost a week, and don't forget that they do have clothing stores in France as well. Maybe even better ones than here." He winked at her._

_"You pretty much have everything figured out, don't you?"_

_"Always." He said and smirked at her._

_Haley looked at him and felt the excitement wash through her._

_"Wow. I'm going to France. We're going to France." She spoke low and felt her mind reeling._

_Nathan chuckled lightly at her. "I love you." He said and leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "Let's get some sleep, then we can talk more about this in the morning." He added after he'd pulled back. He stroked his knuckles gently over her cheek once, before he rolled over and placed himself next to her on the mattress. _

_"Come here." He whispered and pulled her body close to him. He draped his arm over her waist and stomach and held her tight. He suddenly felt an ease and a calmness within him, knowing that she would come with him and that for the next few weeks, she would be safe. They would still have the same problems to consider after they got back, but for now he would try to let that go, and just relax and enjoy the time he was going to have with Haley by his side._

_He closed his eyes and snuggled his face into her hair. A smile graced his lips when he felt Haley put her hand on top of his and intertwine their fingers. He could stay like this forever._

"Haley?" She turned her head by the sound of her name. She felt a slight blush slowly develop across her face when she saw all eyes around the table was directed at her. She really had been in deep thoughts and completely zoned out.

"Hey, are you okay over there?" Jen asked when she still hadn't made a respond.

Haley quickly shook her head and blinked once. "Umm, yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking." She said and looked around the table. They were still staring at her, and it made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"That must have been something good, cause you were pretty out of it." Clay, one of the other residents said and chuckled.

Haley looked at him and felt her cheeks burn when they all joined in on his laugh. "It was just something that happened last night, no big deal." She tried to dismiss it rather quickly, because she didn't want anyone to know about her trip, in case Damian found out about it. "I guess I'm just a little tired." She added and started to pluck around in her salad again.

The guys went back to their conversation again, and she inwardly sighed in relief that they didn't kept nagging her about it. She felt Jen place her hand on her arm and turned her head around to look at her.

"Are you sure you're okay, Haley?" She whispered and looked at her worriedly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm absolutely sure." She smiled and leaned in closer to her. "I can tell you about it later, but not right now." She whispered and grinned.

Jen let out a chuckle and leaned back in her chair, when she realized that Haley was more than fine. "Okay then, so you're good."

Haley playfully raised one of her eyebrows at her, before she turned her attention back to her lunch.

* * *

><p>"I knew you couldn't keep your mouth shut." Nathan spoke annoyingly into the phone. He was talking to Lucas as he was pushing the shopping cart in front of him in between the iles at the grocery store. "I'm glad I actually told Haley last night, otherwise it might've been spoiled by now."<p>

Lucas sighed and raked his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm sorry little brother. I seriously tried, but my wife's powers are too mighty for me to handle. She's a wicked minx, I'll tell you."

"Oh, God! Don't even tell me she used sex as a weapon, Luke. That's just gross." Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Well…" Lucas squinted.

"You know what, just shut up. Let's just leave it, no harm done. But remind me not to tell you anything ever again." He sighed.

Lucas chuckled by Nathan's tone. "At least I were able to keep it in until you were back. You know I could've spelled the same night you told me, she was already onto me then."

"Yeah, whatever." Nathan shook his head and smiled. His brother was in a serious lack of of self control when it came to Brooke. "Anyway, you guys have everything set for tomorrow? Or is it something we can do?" He asked.

"Nah, I think we're all good. You know mom and dad are coming early, so we'll get the help we need. Or Brooke will get the help she needs." Lucas chuckled. "But you're coming over earlier so we can watch the game, right?"

"Umm, I think so. Haley's working tomorrow, but we'll come over as soon as she's done."

"Okay, good. So what did Haley say after you told her about France?"

"She was a little taken aback at first, she didn't see that one coming at all. And she was worried about her shift not being covered, of course, in true Haley style." Nathan chuckled. "But she got really excited about it, once it had really sunk in."

"I guess she always thinks about everyone else before herself, huh? But I'm glad she's excited, this will be good for her. Actually, for the both of you."

"Yeah, it's gonna be nice to get away for a while. And it's even more perfect that I can combine work and holiday like this. I guess having my own private airlines gives its perks." Nathan smirked to himself.

"Clearly it does." Lucas chuckled. "But listen, I have a client coming in right now, so I have to run. But I'll see you guys tomorrow. Tell Haley I said hi."

"Sure will, you too Luke." Nathan finished the conversation and focused back on the list he had in his hand.

* * *

><p>He was watching her closely, from the opposite side of the room, where she was laughing and talking with her friends. It was annoying how happy she looked, especially since it wasn't him that made her that happy. His insides churned and twisted by the thought of her with <em>him<em>. He wanted to smash in his fucking face. That god damn smirk he always seem to sport when he was around her, and how he always kept touching her and kissing her. And what was even worse, was how she reacted to him. She was no better the way she allowed him to put his fucking hands on her. It was completely disgusting to watch, and it made him nauseas. She was not supposed to be with anyone else but himself. She was the reason he was back in town, and he would make sure that she once again became his. It was not an easy task to begin with, since he knew how stubborn she was. When he'd first found out that she was dating this guy, he'd almost lost it. Now it would be even more difficult to get her back. Not impossible, but harder. He simply had to adjust his plan a little, so that he could get that asshole out of the way. It was not going to be easy, and he had to be patient, but as he kept tabs on the both of them, he would soon enough figure out how to proceed with his plan. He decided to take this a challenge. Sure, the guy was big, but he was positive that he could take him. If it ever came down to a fight, he wouldn't even hesitate. The guy would be dead.

He took a sip of his coffee and let his eyes wander around the cafeteria. Most of the tables were filled up, with people chatting and laughing and eating. He was sitting alone in the right corner, a little excluded from the rest of the tables. Usually, he would have a young nurse sitting with him, that he would later hook up with, and then move on to the next one the day after. But he was not in the mood today. His head was filled with one person, and one person only. She was all he could think about, no matter what he was doing. He always had the image of her face in the back of his mind, even when he was working with a patient or when he was in the OR. And it was always her face he pictured when he was having sex with the countless girls. He fixed his gaze at her back again, and felt his pants tighten. He needed her to be his, and he needed it to be soon. He hated that she was so close to him, but yet, still so far away. It made him extremely aggravated and angry.

He shifted slightly in his chair, in order to release some of the uncomfortable throbbing. But the more he stared at her, the more his mind wandered, and the worse the throbbing between his legs became. Fuck! He had to do something about his obvious problem, because he knew it wouldn't go away until he did something about it. He tore his eyes away from her and noticed a hot blonde making eyes at him from one of the tables. He gave her half a smirk, and nodded his head towards the door. He felt a hint of satisfaction, when he saw her packing up her things, before she slowly got up from where she was sitting and walked towards the door. Damn, they were all too easy. He finished off his coffee before he got up and slowly trailed after the blonde towards the door. As he walked past her table, he cast one last glance at her, to get a nice image of the way she looked right now. He even walked close enough to her table, so that he could get a whiff of her scent as he passed her. He smirked to himself as he left the cafeteria quickly for his much needed his release.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>; _So sorry for the delay! But I've been having a minor writers block. Hopefully I'm back on track, and won't keep you waiting for too long again. Thanks for being patient with me. And thanks to those of you that are still reading/reviewing/alerting this story. It keeps me going!_


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer; bla bla bla I don't own anything...

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen<strong>

Karen was standing in the kitchen, looking out of the window that had view over Lucas and Brooke's driveway. A soft smile tugged her lips and her heart swelled when she saw Nathan pick up Daniel onto his shoulders, so that he could place the ball into the basket. She loved watching her two sons like that, laughing and being so carefree with her two grandchildren. Lucas was chasing Sarah, which was laughing and screaming out loud, afraid that her dad might catch her after she'd thrown her little plastic basketball in the back of his head. He finally caught up with her and grabbed her into his arms and threw her up in the air, making her squeal loudly at the top of her lungs. The little girl was laughing so hard when she settled back into Lucas' arms. It was a heartwarming sight for the dark haired mother and grandmother, and she felt the pride and joy rush through her. They'd done a good job raising their two boys, that had grown into two amazing men. At times she couldn't understand how that had happened, seeing as how they were when they were younger, always at each others throats with contstant fights and arguments. But somehow they had formed a strong bond between each other, and now it seemed like they were each others best friends. Of course they still had the witty banter and bickering from time to time, but which siblings didn't have that?

She turned around when she heard her name being called out, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Karen! What do I do next?" Brooke was stirring in the pot like a madwoman, and looked over at Karen with wide, slightly terrified eyes.

Karen walked over to Brooke and looked into the pot. "This looks good, Brooke. Just keep stirring while you add the rest of the contents slowly and let it boil. Just don't forget to stir." She smiled softly and patted her shoulder.

"Can you just please do the rest? I don't want to mess this up, it would ruin the entire dinner." Brooke sounded desperate.

"Don't worry Brooke, you won't mess it up. You have it all under control." Karen chuckled, while she checked on the bird in the oven.

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><p>"Looks like everything is ready." Karen spoke as she walked into the living room where they were all seated. "Did you hear from Haley yet, sweetie?" She asked and looked at Nathan.<p>

"She should be here any minute now." He said and looked at his watch. "She told me she was changing and about to head out when I talked to her about thirty minutes ago. But I think she wanted to go home and freshen up a little before she comes over." He added.

"Sounds good. We have all the time in the world, and we'll keep the food heated till she gets here." Karen smiled and sat down on the couch next to Lucas. "Do you boys have everything you need?"

"We're good." Dan said and smiled at her. "Just sit down and relax, and I'll get you something to drink." He got up from the chair and walked into the kitchen.

"Thank you, honey." Karen smiled at him and watched him walk away.

Nathan suddenly got up and walked out into the hallway. He was a little worried that Haley hadn't arrived yet, and wanted to call and check where she was. He was just about to press the call button, when the front door opened up and Haley walked in. He turned around and smiled when he saw it was her walking through the door. However, his smile quickly faded when he noticed the look on her face. She looked exhausted and stressed out. He put the phone back in his pocket and took a step closer to her. He watched her as she took off her coat and put it away before she turned and faced him. She gave him half a smile and walked up to him.

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late, but you know I got held up at work. I hope you guys didn't wait for me?" She said and put her hand on his arm. She raised on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. "It smells delicious in here." She added and started to walk towards the kitchen.

Nathan knew something was up with her. It was obvious with her appearance, and the half empty look in her eyes. He grabbed her hand and halted her as she brushed past him.

"Hales, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

Haley stopped and turned slowly around when she felt him grab her hand. She should've known that she couldn't hide this from him. He knew her too well. She sighed softly and looked up at him. "Can we do this later? It's not a big deal, besides, I'm tired and I'm hungry, and I don't want to ruin the mood for everyone in here now." She spoke low while she held onto his gaze.

Nathan got confused and even more worried as he looked into her eyes. He wanted to know what was bothering her. But when he looked at her, he knew he shouldn't push her right now. That would only make it worse. He was worried though, that if she let this linger inside her head for too long before she could talk to someone about it, she would eventually close off and make it harder for him to get through to her. But he decided to wait until they got home later tonight, or when she brought it up herself.

He raised the hand that was holding hers, and kissed her knuckles. "That's okay baby. If you think it can wait, then we'll wait till we get home. Just promise that you'll talk to me."

Haley smiled weakly at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I promise."

"Good" He said and embraced her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Now, come on, let's go eat." He pulled back and put his hand on the small of her back as he led them into the living room.

* * *

><p>"Is everything alright with Haley?" Lucas asked as he approached Nathan and put his hand on his shoulder. Lucas had noticed that Nathan had been quiet during dinner and that he'd constantly had his eyes fixed on Haley. He'd also noticed that Haley didn't quite seem like herself, even though she'd been talking and laughing along with the rest of them.<p>

Nathan took a sip of his beer as he kept staring out the window on nothing in particular. He let the feeling of the cold liquid wash down his throat before he let out a small sigh.

"I don't really know. Ever since she came here, she's been kind of closed off." He shook his head and paused. They were standing in the corner of the living room, away from the others that were sitting around the coffee table. Nathan moved his gaze over at Haley and saw that she was having a conversation with his mother and Brooke, while Sarah was cuddled up in her lap.

"I don't know man, I might be over thinking things, but I can't help but worry. You know the whole deal with her ex, and I have a feeling that something might've happened at work before she came here." He moved his eyes at Lucas. "I can tell by the look in her eyes."

Lucas listened to what Nathan said, and thought back to the conversation when Nathan had told him about Damian. He could see how much this strained him, and he felt bad for him. He felt bad for both him and Haley. "I'm sorry Nate. She hasn't told you anything yet?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, she didn't want to do it here for the sake of this evening. You know, like the person she is, she thought about you guys first."

"She has a big heart." He paused for a second. "And she doesn't deserve to go through this again. Not after all she has been through in the past."Lucas turned around when he heard the familiar laugh of his wife, and smiled when he saw Brooke and Haley laughing together.

He turned around again and back to Nathan. "Listen, tell me if there's anything we can do, okay? We're here for you no matter what. And if you guys want to take off now, I get it. I'm sure mom and dad will understand as well, Brooke on the other hand…" He trailed off and grinned at him playfully to lighten his brothers mood.

Nathan couldn't help but chuckle and shook his head. He quickly took another swig of the bottle.

"Thanks Luke. I'll keep that in mind." He said and patted his shoulder. "It seems like she's doing fine right now, so we'll probably stick around for a little while longer. It's always good to be around friendly faces." He added before he gave Lucas a nodding smile, and walked over to the others.

* * *

><p>It was late when Nathan locked himself into the house. He walked in and threw his keys on the small table next to the door and slung his jacket on the chair. Haley was right behind him in her own car, and as he waited for her to get in, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a bottle of water. He took a big gulp and heard her entering the house and locking the door. After a few minutes, when he didn't hear anything else, he slowly walked back out in the hallway to see what she was up to. When he didn't see her, he raked his hand through his hair and sighed softly to himself. He walked back into the kitchen and turned off all the lights, before he climbed the stairs.<p>

He found her in the bathroom suite, already changed into a tank top and sleeping shorts. She was standing in front of the mirror removing her makeup thoroughly with a cotton pad. He leaned into the doorframe and watched her in the mirror. She looked tired, and he couldn't blame her. She'd had a long day with being at work from 7 this morning, and then keeping up with Brooke's constant chattering and Sarah's need for attention.

He wanted to ask her to talk to him, but he knew that if he pushed her, she would end up not telling him at all. He knew how she worked, and he knew that she needed to process things to herself first, before she could let him in on whatever it was that was bothering her. He figured that if this thing was very bad, then she would've already told him about it, wouldn't she?

He watched her as she leaned down and splashed water in her face a couple of times before she patted her face with a hand towel. She then pulled out the rubber band from her hair and let her long, dark locks fall over her shoulders. He'd realized that he loved to watch her doing her nightly routine in the bathroom before she went to bed. He loved every little movement that she did, she was so delicate in the way she took care of herself. He felt small tingles sweep through his body when she let her hair fall down, and a smile spread across his face.

"What are you creeping about over there?" He heard her soft voice break through the silence followed by a light chuckle. "Why don't you creep your butt over here, so you can join me to bed?" She added and met his gaze in the mirror.

Nathan narrowed his eyes at her and chuckled before he slowly padded over to the sink next to her. He grabbed both of their toothbrushes and applied a dot of toothpaste on the both of them.

"I know you secretly like it when I creep you like this." He smirked and handed her her toothbrush.

Haley gave him a knowingly look and shook her head before she started to brush her teeth. She finished before Nathan and rubbed her hand softly over his back a couple of times. They shared a brief smile in the mirror before she walked into the bedroom.

Nathan quickly finished up and stripped out of his clothes. She was already snuggled into the pillow on her side of the bed, facing him when he crawled under the covers. He made himself comfortable on his back and put one of his hands under his head. He was still contemplating whether he should ask her about it now, or whether he should wait till the morning, when he felt her scoot over to him and place her head on his chest. He freed his hand from under his head and held her close to him while stroking the soft skin on her arm. He kissed the top of her head and felt her starting to trace her hand over his stomach.

"Can you take this off?" She whispered and grabbed a fist of his t-shirt in her hand while pulling at it.

He chuckled and sat up before he discarded his t-shirt and threw it on the floor next to the bed. He laid back down and let Haley reposition herself again on top of his chest.

"Better." She mumbled into his skin and draped her arm across his torso.

"What about me?"

"What about you?" She asked, pretending not to understand what he was referring to.

"I gave you skin, and it would be only fair that you returned the favor." He smirked when she tilted her head and looked at him. He moved his hand to the hem of her tank top and let his fingers slide underneath it and across the skin on her back.

She shivered when she felt the contact of his fingers on her back, but decided to make him beg a little for it, even though she wanted to feel his bare chest to her own, just as much as he did.

"This tank top and these tiny shorts is close to nothing, Nathan. I don't want to get cold." She said and moved her leg over his under the covers.

"This tank top could might as well been one of my shirts. It's big enough to cover up your chest, now isn't it? And besides, you won't get cold. Trust me." His smirk grew bigger as his hand slowly snaked its way further up her back, making her all tingly and warm.

She knew that look on his face, it was almost the only look he had, and she felt the atmosphere around them change. The sexual tension was slowly building up as he kept moving his fingers over her back. She wanted to torture him a little longer, but felt herself starting to resolve by his touch and that annoyingly, sexy smirk.

"Nathan, you obviously can't control yourself if I strip out of this, and that is not happening tonight." She turned her face away from him so he wouldn't see her smiling as she told him. "I'm too tired." She added and bit her lip.

Nathan chuckled and moved her head with his finger under her chin. "Baby, you know your entire body language gives you away, right? You can't fool me. So stop being so stubborn and just give into what you want." He leaned his head down and whispered into her ear. "I know you want me."

Haley held her breath when she felt the tingles of his warm breath against her ear and couldn't help but let out another shiver. She closed her eyes and cursed herself for being so responsive to him. She had no control over her body, what so ever, when this man was around. Of course she loved that she was able to give herself completely to him, and reduce her inhibitions. But sometimes it was almost painful at how much she wanted him. It didn't matter if they were in a public place or alone just the two of them, like now. All it took was one of those sexy smirks, or a simple touch, and she was sold.

"Fine, you can have the tank top, but that is all." She huffed. She was having an inner battle with herself right now. She really was tired and wanted to sleep, but the want and need for him kept lingering under her skin.

She reluctantly sat up and slowly removed the offended item of clothing, before she fell back on Nathan's chest.

"Mmm, see? Doesn't that feel so much better?" Nathan said and had to control himself as he felt her bare breasts press up against him. He could tell that she'd gotten a little excited, just like him. But he also knew that she was tired. So whatever happened next, would be entirely up to her. He loved cuddling like this with her, but he wouldn't exactly be disappointed if she wanted to have her way with him now either.

Haley had to swallow at the feel of skin on skin contact. She closed her eyes and indulged in the feeling of Nathan's warm, soft skin against her chest. She laid there for a couple of minutes letting the warmth of his body seep into hers, while she softly stroked her hand over his chest in imaginary circles. She felt her eyes getting heavier, and let out a small yawn.

"You were right, this feels so much better." She looked up at him and smiled. "And would you hate me if I said that I really just want to sleep right now?"

Nathan graced his knuckles over her cheek and placed a kiss on her forehead. "This is perfect." He whispered and smiled. "But I have one request though."

"What?"

"Promise you'll talk to me tomorrow?" He said seriously.

Haley raised herself on her elbow and moved in closer to his face. "I promise." She barley whispered and kissed him softly, before she laid back down and snuggled herself into his shoulder.

"Sweet dreams, Hales." Nathan whispered into her hair and tightened his hold around her.

"You too, Nathan." She mumbled low. A few moments later, she fell into a deep sleep, in the safeness of the embrace of the man she loved.

* * *

><p>Haley's eyes fluttered open early the next day. She spent a few minutes adjusting her eyes to the bright light that came through the small glitch of the curtains. She realized, that somehow during the night, they had changed their positions, so that she now had her back close into Nathan's chest, with his hand resting on her waist. She could hear his even breath and knew that he was still fast asleep. She carefully raised her head to see if she could locate her tank top she'd taken off last night. Instead she eyed her silk robe laying over the chair in the corner of the room. She scooted away from Nathan without waking him up, and went over to the chair and placed the robe around herself. She cast another glance over at Nathan's sleeping form, before she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.<p>

She wanted to make him a nice breakfast in bed, and went straight for the refrigerator to see what they had. She smiled when she saw it was almost stocked up with food, and figured that Nathan probably went shopping yesterday, because it had been a depressing sight the last time she'd opened that door. She grabbed everything that she needed and started to cook, while the coffee maker was running.

For once, she actually felt rested, and she couldn't wait to finally start her vacation. Technically it didn't start until Monday, but she already had this weekend off, so she realized that it kind of already started last night when she got off work. She let out a content sigh and enjoyed herself as she hummed around in the kitchen. It wasn't very often that she actually had time to make a real breakfast, or even sit down properly and enjoy it. She was usually on the run while she ate, and she hated that. She really looked forward to being able to have time for things like this, together with Nathan of course.

When she had arranged a tray with plates and cups for the both of them, she went upstairs with a smile on her face.

She stopped in the doorway for a second and watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful. She almost didn't want to wake him up, but she couldn't let this food go to waste, so she walked slowly over to the side of the bed. She placed the tray on the bedside table and crawled into bed next to Nathan. She stroked the skin on his arm that laid above the covers and leaned down so she was close to him.

"Nathan, wake up." She whispered and placed a soft kiss on his stubbly cheek. She only got a few grunts out of him in response, and giggled when he didn't show any signs of waking up. She nuzzled her nose into his neck and raised her voice a little. "It's time to wake up sleepyhead." She pulled back and nudged his shoulder.

Nathan started to stir and slowly opened his eyes. He rolled over flat on his back, and looked up at a smiling Haley, sitting on her knees next to him on the bed.

"Hey you." His voice was still thick with sleep, as he tried to adjust his brain into seeing and forming words, after the heavy sleep he'd just been dragged out of.

"Good morning boyfriend." Haley said and palmed his cheek. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby." He smiled at her. "What are you doing up so early?" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down so she was sprawled out on top of him.

Haley squealed and started to laugh as Nathan dragged her down to him.

"Morning baby." He mumbled and captured her lips in a tender kiss, which soon grew in intensity as Haley's laugh died down and she started to respond to his kiss. Nathan moved his hand to nape of her neck, which was exposed as she had put her hair up in a messy bun. He deepened the kiss and felt his groin twitch as he felt her tongue come into contact with his own. They both reveled in the feeling of each other for another moment before they had to break away for air. They were both breathing heavily, and when Nathan moved his hand down her side and to the front of her robe, Haley quickly grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"No-uh, not now." She said and looked into a pair of confused eyes.

"What? Hales, come on." He whined and tried to free his hand from her grip.

She shook her head and smiled at his pouting face.

"I never said never, now did I?" She raised her eyebrow and bit her lip to hold back her laugh as she saw the expression on his face change in less than a millisecond. "I said not now, because I made you breakfast, and there's coffee."

Nathan grinned at her and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Have I told you that I love you lately? Because I do."

Haley chuckled and climbed off of him to get the tray from the bedside table. Nathan sat up and leaned his back into the headboard of the bed. She placed the tray across his thighs and got comfortable next to him pulling the covers over her legs.

"I made your favorite." She smiled and stuffed a bite of the waffle into her mouth.

"And you're totally missing out." She mumbled and grinned at him while she was chewing.

Nathan couldn't help but chuckle at her. She was adorable, and amazing. She had decorated the waffles with strawberries and blueberries, and even placed a small purple flower on the side of the tray.

"Mmm, it looks good." He grinned and grabbed a forkful himself.

They both ate and talked loosely about their upcoming weeks in France and other light topics, while stealing kisses and touches every now and then. They both steered clear of the darker topics that swirled around in the back of their minds, to keep a lighthearted mood this early Friday morning.

Haley wanted to tell Nathan about yesterday, and she was going to tell him, but she didn't want to ruin the fun and easy mood they had right now. She wanted to savior the feeling of being able to laugh and be carefree before they once again, had to dig into the more depressed conversations, that killed every single happy thought and made it difficult to breathe. She'd figured out after what had happened yesterday, that there was no way that she could escape this without having to really deal with it. She couldn't ignore it any longer, no matter how hard she tried. And that worried her to no end. She was worried how this would affect Nathan and their relationship. Yes, he'd told her that he would be there for her no matter what, but she feared that she would have to make a lot of big changes in her life, in order to finally move on and get this completely out of the way. And she wasn't sure if she wanted Nathan to make those changes with her, she wasn't sure if she could do that to him.

She glanced at him as he took the last bite out of his plate. She watched him intently as he chewed down on it. His beautiful, masculine face. His strong jaw line, that cute little freckle below his right eye, and those amazing blue eyes she constantly drowned herself in whenever he looked at her. He was the one for her. She loved him with every single fiber of her body. Her heart ached for him even when they were together. She had never thought that it would be possible to love someone like this. She didn't deserve a man like Nathan, not with all the baggage she was carrying around. And he definitely didn't deserve to be dragged into this, when this was all her stupid mess. He would only end up being hurt, emotionally and maybe even physically, and she couldn't bare the thought. She would never forgive herself if anything should happen to him, she just wouldn't.

"Hey, baby, what's wrong?" Nathan asked softly when he saw a single tear roll down the side of her cheek.

"You're crying." He raised his hand and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

Haley hadn't even realized she was crying until Nathan spoke up. She didn't want to upset him, at least not until she was sure of what she wanted to do about this mess. She was confused. She would've never in a million years thought that, one day, she would have to make a decision like this. God, how she wished her life could've been different. That her past could simply be erased.

She breathed in and put her hand on top of Nathan's hand that were still palming her cheek, and looked deeply into his eyes. "No words can describe how much I love you, Nathan." She whispered and held onto his gaze. She felt her heart pound hard in her chest, and it felt like it was about burst right through, when Nathan responded with one of his beautiful, genuine smiles. The smile he only had for her.

"I love you too, Haley." He whispered back and leaned in and gave her the softest, most tender kiss she had ever felt, filled with so much love.

When he ended the kiss, she placed her head on his shoulder. Neither of them said a word, they didn't need to, the silence spoke for itself.

Haley knew she had to figure out what she wanted do as soon as possible. Maybe she could use these two weeks to figure it all out. But if it turned out, that in the end, she would have to break things off with Nathan, was it really fair to him that she continued this now? That she even came with him to France? She sighed silently to herself, and came to the conclusion that she seriously had to do a great amount of thinking this weekend. Even if it hurt to simply think about, that the result she could end up with, could be excruciating.

But as of right now, she just wanted to spend the time with Nathan and try to forget, even if it was just for a little while. She crawled onto his lap so she was facing him, and put her arms around his neck. When she felt his arms wrap around her back and press her body tightly into his, she felt another set of tears pricking behind her eyes. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, closed her eyes and relaxed her body completely into his.

This was a moment she wanted to save and keep in her heart forever.

* * *

><p>"I honestly don't know what to do. It's not fair to him that I drag him into this. This whole thing is bad enough as it is, and I just know that it will get even worse." Haley shook her head and breathed out deeply.<p>

She was over at Peyton's for a heart to heart, while Nathan and Jake were at the office, doing some last minute preparations for the trip. She was going to talk to Nathan when they got back home, but first she needed some advice from her best friend on what to do.

"Haley, I know this is frustrating for you and I understand that you're scared. But you can't start shutting people out again, like you did before. And especially not Nathan. I can tell by simply looking at you, how much he means to you, and trust me, he feels the same way about you. That boy will do anything for you." Peyton stated firmly.

"That's exactly the thing. I don't want him to do _anything_ for me. I don't want to see him get hurt. And trust me, he will. If it's not by Damian, then I'll probably end up hurting him. You know how I got the last time, I barley let you talk to me."

Peyton sighed and sat up more straight in the couch. She waited a few seconds so she could catch Haley's gaze, from the opposite end of the couch.

"Listen, this is _not_ like the last time, okay. Last time you only had me to turn to, and I'm grateful that I was the one who could be there and help you through it. But you still kept yourself closed off to other people for a long time, and I understand that it was hard to let people in after what happened." She paused for a moment.

"But who was the one that were finally able to get you to open up and let your guard down completely? I can see that the two of you have a special connection. A very deep connection, that I have never seen in anyone before, and it makes me so incredibly happy to see the two of you together. If there's anyone in this entire world that will stick by your side, and never leave you, it's Nathan."

Peyton could see a tiny flicker in Haley's eyes as she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth.

"Whatever you decide to do about Damian, please let Nathan be there for you. Let him be there with you. He will help you get through this, and more importantly, he wants to help you get through this, Haley. I couldn't stand to see you go back to the way you used to be, before you met him."

"I don't deserve him." Haley whispered in a quivering voice, as tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

She broke Peyton's gaze and looked down in her lap.

"Now that is bullshit, Haley!" Peyton almost screamed out angrily.

"If there's anyone that deserve to get the good guy, it's definitely you." She changed the tone of her voice when she saw Haley jump a little by her tiny outburst.

"You need to stop weighing yourself down. You are a good person, with the biggest heart anyone could possibly have. You are beautiful, caring, smart, sexy, and Nathan is lucky to have you. It just makes me sad that you can't see that yourself." The last part came out low.

Haley raised her head and looked over at Peyton. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and sniffled a couple of times.

"I can't….I - I mean…he's already done so much for me, Peyton. And I feel like I'm holding him back by taking advantage of his kindness and selflessness. It's not fair that he's always the one that have to give, and never get anything back."

Peyton could see the half empty look in her eyes, like she'd already given up. She recognized this from right after the incidence with Damian. It was obvious that she'd been processing this inside of her head for a long time now, without talking to someone about it. And she believed, that what had happened yesterday was probably the tip of the iceberg. The last drop that made her wanting to shut down completely, and give up on everything and everybody.

Peyton lifted her leg so it hung over the edge of the couch. She winced a little by the pain the new position of her leg caused, but she ignored just as quickly as it had appeared, and scooted herself over to Haley. She placed her hand on top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Haley, I don't think you realize just how much you give that boy, every single day. Simply by being the person that you are. He loves you and adores you more than anything. You're all that he talks about when he's not around you. Just ask Jake." She chuckled lightly and felt a slight hope in her heart, when she saw Haley close her eyes and smile weakly.

"This is what real love is. Even though Nathan might not need help in the same way as you do, you still help him by being with him and let him be a part of your life."

Haley kept her eyes closed and listened to what Peyton told her. She took in each and every word and processed them thoroughly. Slowly she felt the heavy weight on her chest finally starting to dissipate, and it suddenly got a little easier to breathe. She really needed to hear this right now, and she needed to hear it from Peyton. The one person that knew her in every way, maybe even better than she knew herself. She still didn't know what she was going to do, but at least Peyton managed to open up her eyes, and made her see that she did have a difference in Nathan's life. She'd probably always known that, on some level. But her insecurities and self destructing thoughts, usually had a way of getting in her way of seeing things from different angles.

"Peyton…" She started. Her voice was weak and she had to pause before she could continue.

She opened her eyes again, and looked at her best friend. "I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to tell me anything. You just figure out how to deal with that prick, then you go home and let Nathan in on every crazy thought you might have in that head of yours, and let him be there for you. I will smack you across your pretty, little face if you mess this up. You hear me?" Peyton quickly interrupted Haley, and demanded her in a firm tone. She also added a playful smile to it all, to make her seem less scary.

Haley couldn't help but burst into laughter after being on the receiving end of a painfully true and honest dictation from Peyton. It took her a couple of minutes before her laughter died down, and when it finally did, she playfully smacked Peyton's shoulder.

"Hey! Now that was uncalled for." Peyton exclaimed and faked hurt.

"Thank you, Peyton. I needed this." Haley said seriously.

Peyton smiled and gave her an affirmative nod. "Yes, you did. So now I can trust you to do the right thing then?"

"I can't see that I have a choice. I don't feel like getting smacked all over my pretty, little face by a crazy blonde in a leg cast."

"Ha-ha, good one, Hales." Peyton chuckled by her response.

"It's good to hear you laugh again. At least I know you're still in there somewhere. Now you keep staying like this, and don't let Damian pull you back into the darkness again. Talk to Nathan tonight, decide what to do about it, but deal with it after you get back from France. I'm positive that two weeks, away from everything, is just what you need."

Haley smiled and embraced Peyton in a hug. "I don't even want to think about where I would be if it wasn't for you. Thank you, best friend."

"I'm always here for you Hales, just like Nathan is. Don't forget that." Peyton said and squeezed her tighter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _Don't be mad, but I think it's time that things start to get a little rougher around here. Haley's struggling, and I think she has been all along, even though she has been putting on a brave face. Clearly she doesn't want Nathan to get hurt, but will she make it better by distance herself from him, and in that way "protect" him from Damian and her own inner struggle? Maybe Haley is an even bigger threat to herself and their relationship, than Damian actually is?_

_For future reference; You'll find out what it was that tipped Haley over the edge in the next chapter. And I'm gonna make a little time jump, eventually, to make things move forward. As of right now, I honestly don't know how long this story will be. And I'm not entirely sure how I want it to end - yet._

_Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you'll stick with me to the end, whenever that'll be. I would love to hear your thoughts, don't be shy._


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer; I do not own anything

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen<strong>

Haley had gotten back from Peyton about an hour ago, to an empty house. She was in the laundry room, trying to take care of the huge pile of clothes that had been laying around for almost a week, when she thought she heard a noise coming from the backside of the house. She quickly folded the sweater she was holding in her hands, and walked out in the hallway and called out Nathan's name. When she didn't get any respond, she suddenly got an uneasy feeling. The silence in the house surrounded her like the thick fog in the early morning hours, and she couldn't help but shiver slightly, when she felt cold chills run down her spine.

She rushed over to the front door and doubled checked that it was locked, before she hurried over to the sliding doors leading out to the backyard. She sighed in relief when she felt that it was locked too. She turned to continue her round, when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that one of the chairs outside at the terrace had tipped over. She halted, and let her eyes sweep over the backyard once, to see if she could see anyone or something else that might be suspicious. Her heart rate increased, when she suddenly felt like she was being watched. She took one step away from the windows and hugged her arms around herself, to feel some sort of protection. She backed away further, as her eyes was still looking out the window at the backyard.

For some reason, she was afraid to turn her back to the windows, so she kept walking backwards with short steps towards the kitchen, where she had placed her phone. The uneasy silence had no advantage when it came to block out the noise of her thumping heart, that was ringing loudly in her ears. When she got to the opening between the living room and the kitchen, she turned around and sprinted over to the kitchen counter to get her phone. As she scrolled through her contacts to find Nathan's name, a small tap on the kitchen window made her jump so she dropped her phone on the floor. She cursed to herself before she kneeled down to the floor and grabbed her phone. Her hands were shaking, and so did the rest of her body. She stayed in the kneeling position, behind the kitchen counter, so that she was out of sight from the window where she had heard the tapping. She was glad to find out that her phone had survived the fall, and quickly found Nathan's name on the contact list. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably as she placed the phone to her ear and waited for him to answer. When the call went to voice mail, Haley clenched her eyes shut as she leaned her back into the counter.

Her breath got caught in her throat when she heard another tap on the window. This time it was louder, maybe more like a soft knock. She pressed her back harder against the counter and held her knees close to her chest.

Why wasn't Nathan answering his phone?

She held her breath, and focused hard on any noise or movement that came from outside the window. But it was difficult to hear anything over her heart that was beating loudly.

Haley sat there for what seemed like hours, without moving a muscle, but in reality it had only been a few minutes since that last knock. She blinked her eyes a couple of times and inhaled deeply. She couldn't sit around here all night, but she also didn't want to get up. She had always been a little afraid of windows at nighttime. You could never see what or who was lurking around, when it was light inside the house, and pitch black outside. That's what she missed the most about her apartment, that it only had one small window that people from outside could see through. But she had always kept the curtain closed at night, so that no one could walk past it and look inside. In this house it was impossible to hide from the windows. They were large, and they were everywhere. Somehow, she'd gotten used to them, and she rarley thought about it. But now, that old fear came crashing back at her.

The fear had started when Peyton had made her watch a horror movie when they were younger. It was of course one of those with a babysitter in a house full of gigantic windows, far out in the woods, where some psycho killer was watching her carefully through from the outside. She kind of hated Peyton for doing that to her. Besides, the whole Damian incident didn't exactly help the matter.

She tried Nathan's cell again, but once again it went straight to voice mail. She cursed under her breath, and rubbed her temples. She didn't have Jake's number, but she could always call Peyton, and get her to call Jake and then ask him to tell Nathan to come home.

"Hey Peyton, it's me…" Haley whispered into the phone, when Peyton answered after the second ring.

"Haley? Are you okay? Why are you whispering?"

"I don't know. There's someone outside our house, knocking on the window. And I can't get a hold of Nathan." Haley started slowly.

She already felt a little better by talking to someone on the phone, but she was still scared.

"Could you please call Jake for me, and ask him to t…" She stopped in the middle of the sentence when she heard keys in the front door.

"Haley? Are you okay? You're freaking me out here…" Peyton spoke up worriedly when Haley suddenly stopped talking.

Haley carefully got up on her feet and walked out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, sorry. I think Nathan is here now, but please just hold the line until I know it's him, okay?" Haley stopped in the opening between the kitchen and the hallway, and stayed still with the phone clutched in her hand. She heard the klick when the door became unlocked and saw that it opened up slowly.

Those few seconds it took from the door was unlocked till it was open completely, felt like forever, and she held her breath as she could weakly hear Peyton's voice in the other end. Haley backed up into the wall when she heard footsteps slowly walk across the threshold.

"Hales?"

Haley felt the tension and the nauseating uneasiness in her body evaporate and immediately being exchanged into relief, the same second as she heard and saw Nathan. She ran straight over to him and put her arms tightly around his torso. She placed her head into his chest and relaxed by the relieving sensation that ran through her body.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Nathan asked perplexed as Haley practically ran him down, and squeezed him so tight that he almost couldn't breathe. He placed one hand on her back and pushed the door closed with the other.

Haley remained silent for another minute, before she could hear Peyton yelling through her phone she was still holding onto. She untangled her arms from around him and pulled back. She quickly told Peyton that everything was okay, and that she would call her back later. She finished the call and dropped her hands to the side of her body. When she raised her head she met Nathan's questionable gaze. He didn't say a word as he kept staring intently at her, but his eyes were asking a million questions.

"There was someone lurking around outside our house, Nathan." Her voice was still trembling when she started to talk.

"What? What do you mean outside our house? And when?" Nathan wasn't quite sure what she was talking about. Of course there's people outside, they're not the only ones that lives on this block.

"Like 20 minutes ago, I heard a noise from the backside of the house. I was doing laundry, and when I went into the living room to check, I saw that one of the chairs at the terrace had been tipped over."

"That could might as well been the wind. I think there's a storm coming up real soon." Nathan reasoned.

"Okay, that might be, but I freaked out and walked into the kitchen to call you - and why didn't you answer, by the way?" She stopped herself to get that question out of the way.

Nathan was hit by a realization, when Haley asked him about his phone, and dragged his hand through his hair. "Oh shit, my phone! I must have left it out in the hangar. Damn it." He sighed.

"Oh…that explains why you didn't pick up." Haley shuffled her feet and looked down.

"But why did you freak out by the wind, Hales? That has never scared you before."

"It wasn't the wind, Nathan. There was someone outside, and they knocked on the window in the kitchen, while I was in there."

Nathan watched as Haley raised her head to look at him again, and saw the fright in her eyes. Her lower lip was slightly trembling, but she quickly pulled in between her teeth.

Nathan was still trying to get over the fact that Haley had practically ran him down, before he could get into the house properly. And he got even more confused when she continued to talk. He tilted his head to the side and kept his eyes at her.

"What are you talking about? Are you sure it wasn't just a twig from the large tree outside that window, brushing up against it?" He asked carefully, as he felt the slightest anxiety slowly bubbling up within him.

Haley shook her head deliberately. "No, I know the difference of a brushing twig against the window, and a human hand knocking on it." She stated seriously and swallowed hard.

She noticed Nathan's eyes flicker and widen slightly, when he understood that she was being serious. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself as his eyes started to wander around the hallway and then look out the window, that was next to the front door.

Nathan was still having problems sorting his thoughts out, and didn't know what to say. He moved his eyes around the hallway, and halted as he looked through the small window next to the front door.

He reached his hand out in front of him, and carefully placed it on Haley's arm.

"Are you okay? Umm, I mean, are you absolutely sure that it was someone out there?" He snapped his eyes back at her.

Haley nodded silently at him.

The anger shot through his veins, like a lightning fire, and replaced all rational thoughts he had to begin with. The thought about this fucked up creep that was walking around, on _his_ property, looking through the windows at nighttime, made him furious. There was especially one name that entered his mind, and all he could see was balck rage.

"Wait here." He spat out while squeezing her arm, before he flung the door open, and ran outside. He didn't know where to start once he stepped outside. He turned his head from side to side, and across the driveway to the other side of the road. He moved his gaze further down the road, in both directions. He cursed under his breath, when he didn't see anything suspicious, and decided to take a round around the house. He moved with fast steps, breathing heavily from the rage that was bubbling inside of him. He moved his eyes constantly around the property as he walked, to see if there was any sign of anyone that could have been there, or might still be there. He could only hope for the sake of that person, that he wasn't still around, because if he was, then he would beat the living shit out of him. No one had any business walking around at his property, let alone looking through the windows and scaring Haley like that. Only sick and twisted people would do that, and as of right now, he could only come up with one name that would match that category. Fucking prick.

When he'd walked around the entire house, without noticing anything unusual, he walked back inside and closed the door behind him, before twisting the lock. He found Haley at the exact same spot where he left her. She was biting hard on her lip and looked up at him nervously when he turned to face her.

Nathan took a deep breath, in order to dissipate some of the rage and anger, that currently inhabited his being.

"Did you see who it was?" He asked after a few moments, when he'd managed to calm down a little.

"No, I dropped my phone on the floor, and stayed behind the kitchen counter, when I heard the knock." Haley shook her head.

Nathan could see that Haley was shaking, and he suddenly felt bad, for storming out of the house like that. His outburst probably didn't make her feel any less scared than what she already was. He walked over to her and embraced her in his arms and stroked his hand soothingly up and down her back.

"I'm sorry I reacted like that. I shouldn't have ran out like that, but I simply snapped when I thought that maybe the asshole was still out there. And there was particularly one name that popped up in the back of my mind."

Haley knew who he was talking about. And she was almost positive that it was him. The nauseating feeling slowly crawled back up from her stomach and into her mouth. This was the moment. There was no way around it. She had to tell him about what happened yesterday. She simply knew, that because of yesterday, who it was that was lurking outside their windows. Her stomach kept twisting and churning, and the nausea made her head spin as well.

She reluctantly pushed herself out of the safety of Nathan's embrace and took one step back.

"There's something you need to know." She told him. Her voice was barley over a whisper, and she could feel her heart rate push way beyond the normal range, as the words left her mouth while she looked at Nathan through her eyelashes.

* * *

><p>He hurried back into the car, and hit his hands hard against the steering wheel after he'd gotten in and closed the door. How the hell could he be so stupid? He was too fucking close to be caught by pretty face, when he came home and caught him off guard. Originally he was just supposed to watch her, to find out how she acted when she was at home. He was not supposed to make his appearance evident, and make them aware that someone was watching them like that. Damn it! At least he was smart enough to park his car a couple of blocks down from their house, so that they wouldn't notice a car that was parked along the side of the road, that obviously didn't belong in the neighborhood.<p>

He calmed himself down, before his mind went back to her. God damn, he wanted her to be his. He could picture her in that short sleeved top, showing a small amount of cleavage, and those tight sweatpants, which gave away her nicely shaped legs and hips. Fuck, she was a goddess. And the only thing that was standing in his way of getting her back, was that smirking asshole, that looked like a fucking Ken doll or something. He was ridiculous.

He clenched his fists hard around the steering wheel as the thought of that fucker entered his mind. The first thing he had to do, was to get him out of the way. But how the hell was he supposed to do that? He couldn't stand watching the two of them together. He had experienced, by several occasions, that he had to calm himself down, in order not to explode and walk over to him and beat that fucking smirk off of his pretty, little face.

He needed to come up with a way to approach him, and he needed it to be soon. He could not stand to see her being with him anymore, and the sooner he got that bastard out of the picture, the sooner he got her all by himself.

He started the car, and drove slowly away, as his mind worked on high gear to come up with a plan that was good enough to get him out of the picture. He just had to be smart about it, and find his weakness. He drove past their house, and saw that the lights was still on in their kitchen. He smirked with satisfaction to himself, knowing that very soon, she would be all his.

* * *

><p>Haley walked into the kitchen and over to the dining table and took a seat. She needed to sit down before she would pass out from all the emotions and thoughts that was swirling around inside of her head. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Nathan slowly followed her into the kitchen, a few seconds later. When her hands started to shake uncontrollably, she folded them together and rested them in her lap. Her eyes kept following Nathan as he walked past her and pulled out the chair opposite to her across the table. She could see the uneasiness and the uncertainty in his eyes and by studying his body language. He let out a heavy breath as he sat down, before he nervously directed his gaze over at her.<p>

An uncomfortable silence spread throughout the room, as neither of them wanted to take the initiative to start this conversation.

"It's him, isn't it?" Nathan broke the silence. He couldn't take the it anymore. He was scared. He felt like he had lost all control, and he hated that he had no idea what was going on with her right now. The look in her eyes terrified him, and he had a feeling that he was not going to like what she was about to tell him.

"What happened yesterday, Haley?" His voice was already trembling.

"Nathan…" Haley breathed out. She kept re-playing yesterday, over and over again in her head. She didn't know where to start, and she didn't know what to tell him or how to tell him. She thought that she knew what she had to do, but then the earlier conversation with Peyton popped up in the back of her mind. It made her confused, and once again, lost of how she should deal with this.

"You're really scaring me, Haley. Please just tell me…" The pleading look in his eyes made her chest sting, and she had to look away in order to be able to keep herself going.

"I'm pretty sure that he has been watching me, or following me these past few weeks." She started out slow, her eyes focused on the table in front of her.

"Every time I've been at work, I just had this feeling that someone was staring at me or watching me, even though I couldn't physically see him. I've been trying to ignore it, and tell myself that it's just my mind that has been playing tricks on me. But - yesterday…" She paused to swallow. Her hands were all white from clenching them so hard together.

"Yesterday confirmed that I haven't been imagining things." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and moved her eyes across the table. She was afraid that if she looked him in the eyes, she would break down even before she could tell him the rest, so she rested her gaze at his chest.

"I - umm…was standing in the radiology room, studying a CT scan of one of my patients, when he came into the room." A cold shiver ran down her spine, as she was once again back in that room.

Nathan kept his eyes at her as she slowly continued to talk. He wanted to say something, but were unable to form his thoughts into words.

She explained how Damian kept up with his inappropriate comments towards her, while she tried to focus on her patients case and ignore him completely.

He could see the pain in her eyes as she relived it all over again...

_Haley stared intently at the scan she held up in front of the light-board, and tried to block out his voice the best she could. He was still standing a few feet away from her, but kept talking about how he was thinking about her every single day, and how desperate he was for her to forgive him. It was nothing she hadn't heard before, because it was always the same bunch of crap every time he approached her. And like every other time, she tried to tell him to stay away from her, but clearly he didn't take the message._

_She clenched her jaw and felt the anger starting to rise within her. When he walked up to her and brushed his arm against her, the anger turned into rage._

_"You don't get it, do you?" She took one step to the side, away from him. _

_"How many times do I have to tell you, to stay the hell away from me!"_

_She felt like she was about to burst from all the rage, when all he did was smirk at her._

_"Or are you so fucking dense, that you don't understand that there's no you and me, and there never will be - ever again! I've had enough of your ridiculous mind games and snide comments, so please do us all a favor and leave me the hell alone, and move on with your pathetic life!" She was seething now, and had to control herself from screaming._

_This is what she had been building up her courage for. To finally tell him to back off, to make him understand that she wanted nothing more to do with him. That she simply wanted him out of her life, so she could finally get enough peace and quiet to continue living her own._

_"Don't do that Haley. Don't try to deny that you still have feelings for me. I can see the way you look at me sometimes. I watch you all the time, and your body tells me something completely different than what you're telling me right now." He moved closer to her once again. _

_" But it's okay, I'll help you get over your denial. I'll help you get back to the way it used to be." He smirked at her and looked her up and down._

_Haley shook her head in disbelief. She was shocked by the words that were coming out of his mouth._

_"You are delusional. You are the one in denial - not me. And I do not have feelings for you. Nor will I ever get feelings for you. I can't believe that I was stupid enough to fall for your crap in the first place. That was the biggest mistake of my life. One that I will regret for the rest of time." She watched as he flinched by her words, and felt an ounce of satisfaction. Then the look in his eyes changed, and his smirk disappeared as his face turned serious. _

_He lowered his head as he stared her down._

_"I know you don't mean that." His voice was low and controlled. "And I know you'll be mine again, once you get over that ridiculous crush you're having right now."_

_Haley snapped her eyes back at him._

_"So tell me, how's that pretty boy of yours doing? Nathan, was it?" The threatening tone in his voice, combined with one of those evil smirks, made her entire body shudder. Her chest was constricting and she had difficulty breathing._

_"Don't you dare…" She was at the brink of tears, and her voice was barley above a whisper._

_"Don't worry, Hales. You'll soon enough realize that you are meant for me, once this temporarily distraction is out of the way." He brushed his fingers against her cheek and let out a chuckle._

_"See the way you're reacting to me? You can't hide from the urges of your body, baby." He added saucily when Haley shuddered again by the action of his fingers against her cheek._

_"And think about how good it's gonna be when we're finally back together again. I have daily dreams about having your body wrapped around mine once again. How deep I'm going to be inside of you. Hearing you scream my name over and over."_

_Haley was completely paralyzed. She couldn't move a muscle. She was in complete and utter shock. Her head started to spin and she felt the bitter taste in her mouth, as the acidic contents from her stomach started to climb up into the back of her throat._

_"It won't be long now. He'll be out of our way real soon. I promise you." He whispered those last words with his mouth close to her ear. Then he licked the skin right under her earlobe, before he pulled back and walked out of the room._

Nathan swallowed hard. He had a hard time processing everything that Haley had told him. He was completely shocked. Even though he would expect him to act this way, he was still taken aback by the way it had happened, and what he'd told her. He tried to find something to say to her. Anything at all. But his mind was reeling with images of him being so close to Haley, touching her like she was his property and talking to her in the most inappropriate way.

The previous rage that had surged through him right after he came home, was back, and this time it was even more powerful.

His eyes kept wandering around the kitchen. He couldn't focus on anything. He leaned his elbows on the table and put his face in his hands. This guy was really not going to let things go. He tried to control his racing mind, but were unable to separate the thoughts right now. It was too much to process, and he needed time to figure out what to do about this.

He removed his hands from his face, when he heard a sniffle from across the table. He looked at Haley and noticed her tear filled eyes, stare blankly down at the table. He felt an immediate sting in his chest at the sight of her, and felt his own eyes starting to prick with tears. He quickly closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. He needed to say something, but he also needed to keep focused and remain calm for her sake. If he started to yell and scream, he would only make it worse, and he didn't want that. He needed to stay strong for her now. He could see that she was completely lost of what to do with the whole situation, and he was pretty sure that she was more worried about his safety than her own right now. So he had to talk to her, and make her understand that nothing was going to happen to him. He would not let that asshole scare him away, no matter how hard he tried.

"Haley…" He started and waited to see if she would raise her eyes to look at him. She didn't indicate any movement of her eyes, as they were still glued to the table, but he knew that she was listening to him, so he continued to talk.

"I can't believe that you've been feeling this way all this time, without telling me about it. It hurts me a little bit that you still can't open yourself up to me completely." He focused on keeping his voice calm and together, no matter how loud the voice was screaming inside his head.

"I want you to be able to trust me and let me in on whatever it is that you are going through, because I'm here for you and I want to help you. I really thought that you were doing fine up until yesterday, when you showed up at my brother's house." He paused for a second to make sure he chose the right words.

"And when I asked you about it, you told me that it was no big deal, and that it could wait. And you were right, it was something that could wait. But what you've just told me, doesn't really sound like something that's 'no big deal'." He swallowed and closed his eyes for a second, when he saw the tears rolling slowly down Haley's cheeks.

"He threatened you, Haley. And he even threatened me, if I could understand correctly. And he's even lurking around our house at any time of the day, obviously, scaring you to death with his psychotic, fucked-up mind." Nathan sighed.

"I'm having a hard time remaining still in this seat right now, because all I want to do is run out of here, track him down, and beat the shit out of him. God, you have no idea how bad I want to kill that bastard. I'm not gonna stand by and watch him, or anyone else for that matter, treat you like this. I'm not that kind of guy, Haley." He dragged his hand through his hair in frustration, when Haley suddenly raised her gaze and looked at him. He could see the pain swirl around in her eyes, behind the thick pool of tears.

"But I also know that if I take the matter in my own hands, it could worsen the problem, seeing as he's clearly a very unstable guy. And I don't want to make this any worse than it already is."

Haley tried to focus at Nathan through her tear filled eyes, but his face was nothing but a big blur. Her heart ached for every word that came out of his mouth. He sounded angry and scared, but most of all hurt. He was thinking that she didn't trust him enough to let him in, and she understood that it could seem that way. But the truth was that she didn't want him to get too involved in this mess. She had never in her entire life loved and cared for someone, like she did for him. And that's exactly why she hadn't told him about this. She wanted to protect him from it all, and she wanted to prevent something like this from happening.  
>She really had thought that she could make this go away, without having to worry him too much. But once again, she had misjudged Damian and his fucked-up mind. Now it was too late for her to keep Nathan out of harms way. Damian had made it very clear yesterday, that he wanted to 'remove' Nathan from her life, and she only knew that he was being dead serious.<p>

The fear of losing Nathan, one way or the other, was slowly eating her up from inside.

She couldn't stand the thought of her life without Nathan.

Her best friend, her soulmate, her lover - her everything.

All she ever wanted for him, was for him to be safe. And right now, there was only one thing that she could think of, that would make Damian stay away from him. If that could keep him alive and not hurt in a physical sense of way, then that's what she had to do.  
>She had come to the realization, that <em>she<em> was the danger in Nathan's life right now. As long as Damian was still around, Nathan would never be safe, especially if she was a part of his life.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and felt like she was about to suffocate when she got a clear view of his beautiful, handsome face. How could she tell him this, without falling apart herself?

She was already falling apart, and the inner battle of still wanting to have him in her life and the need of keeping him safe, was pulling her body and mind in every direction. She had thought about going to the police and get a restraining order. But she knew that it wouldn't stop Damian from keeping up with his plan. He was psychotic, but he was also smart enough to get around that, in one way or the other. She had of course thought about changing her job, but he would still be able to find her. Besides, he knew where they lived, so a change of job wouldn't help Nathan at all. She had thought about them moving away, and start their lives another place, but Nathan had his life here. He had his business, and he had his family here. She knew how tight he was with his brother and his family, and she could never ask him to move away from them. So the only solution she was left with, that was the only thing she thought that could actually work, was if she packed up and left town - alone. She needed to disappear. She knew that would hurt him, but in the end it would probably save his life, and that was the thing that mattered the most to her. Knowing that he would be safe.

Haley hadn't spoken a word in a long time, and Nathan could see that her mind was working on high gear. He could see the whirlpool of emotions flash through her eyes, and every now and then, she would flinch and try to choke down her sobs.

"Hales, please tell me what you're thinking." His voice was so weak, that he almost couldn't hear himself.

Haley shook her head softly and graced her teeth across her lower lip. She was sure that he didn't want to know what she was thinking right now.

But what other choice did she really have? Her best friends voice suddenly entered her mind again, as she carefully studied Nathan's expression.

_Don't let Damian pull you into the darkness again. _

_I'm always here for you, just like Nathan is. _

"I-I can't do this Nathan…" Her voice broke into loud sobs as the words inside of her head tangled into each other.

She didn't want to utter those words to him, not now, not ever. Could she really go on with her life without him? Would she even be able to talk him into it? To make him understand that, in the end, this would be the best solution for the both of them?

"What? Do you mean you can't talk to me?" Nathan asked nervously as he waited for her sobs to subside.

"No, I mean you -…I just can't -"

Nathan didn't like the defeated tone in her voice. She sounded so broken, and the worst possible thoughts fired through his mind as she stuttered out the words in between her sobs. Still, he wouldn't allow himself to go into that direction. But it was difficult to ignore, now that it had appeared in his mind, and kept buzzing in his ears like an annoying mosquito at night, when you were trying to fall asleep. Whatever he did, it would always find it's way back - unless you killed it.

"I love you, Nathan, more than you'll ever know. And I will always love you…" Once again, her voice broke at the end.

"Please don't Haley…" His voice was quivering and he felt like the walls were closing in on him. He felt weak and helpless as he realized where she was going with this.

"No, I need you to listen to me. I've been trying to figure out the best way to make this go away, and the best way to keep you safe. I know him, Nathan, he won't go away. He will never leave us alone until someone gets hurt…" Her head was spinning so hard and so fast, that she started to see black spots. She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She needed to get this out now. She willed her body into listening to her, and inhaled one more time before she slowly opened her eyes again.

"No matter how I try to look at this, I'm always ending up with the fact that I'm the reason that you're in danger of getting hurt. And I - I can't continue living with that fact. So the only conclusion I can come up with, is that I -…"

"You don't have to do this, Haley." Nathan stopped her from finishing the sentence.

"I won't allow you to just give up like this. To give up on us…" He couldn't prevent the tears that escaped from the corner of his eyes. He felt completely helpless and didn't know what to say as every single thought disappeared from his mind. It was like his body shut down, right when he actually needed it to function.

He stared blankly at the defeated brunette, sitting on the other side of the table, with the same empty look as he had. It felt like she was sitting miles, and miles away from him. And as the time passed, it only felt like the table between them kept growing, and slowly pulling them further apart.

This could not be happening, there was simply no way that he could live without Haley. The one thought that was able to find it's way back into his mind right now, was the surprise he had arranged for their first night in France. He started to feel the slightest sense of panic rise within him, as he thought about the possibility that she might not even go to France with him.

As the realization about what she was doing, really hit him, he flew quickly up on his feet. He walked around the table and kneeled down next to Haley. He took a hold of the seat of her chair, and turned it around so she was facing him. She didn't give any resistance as he turned her around, but she kept her eyes glued to her hands that was resting in her lap.

Nathan could feel his heart beating in the back of his throat. It made him nauseas and all he really wanted to do, was to go and lay down. But he quickly ignored every uneasy sensation, and placed his hands around her calves, and carefully rubbed his hands up and down. He needed to feel her, and he had a feeling that she also needed needed the physical contact. To know that he was there. He heard her breathing shift slightly the second he touched her, which gave him a tiny spark of hope.

He rested his hands right below her knee, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Whatever you're thinking, just stop. I won't let you do this, Haley." He tried to catch her gaze, but she kept it locked in on her hands.

"I'll tell you what. Let's go to bed, and sleep on this. We're both tired, and none of us are thinking clearly right now. We don't need to come up with a solution tonight. We can talk more tomorrow, when we're both rested and we both have cleared our minds. Okay?" He spoke in a calm voice, and watched her closely to see if she would make any signs or acknowledge at all, that she had heard what he was saying.

Her face was still expressionless, and she didn't move a muscle. She just kept breathing steadily in and out.

Haley's head was ringing loud, and she could only hear a few words of what Nathan was saying. She had no energy at all, to even move or speak, so she simply sat there. She felt him squeeze her legs gently while he was talking, and it made her able to control her breathing, at least just a little bit.

She then noticed that he got up on his feet and started to walk around the kitchen to turn off the lights. When he came back to her, and kneeled down next to her again, she felt a whiff of his cologne invading her senses. When she felt him take her hand in his, she suddenly got pulled out of her trance and raised her head to look at him.

"Come on, baby." He whispered, and pulled her up on her feet.

Haley was still unable to move. It was like she was nailed to the floor.

She suddenly felt Nathan put one of his arms under her thighs and the other one around her back, and lift her up in his arms. She lifted her arms around his neck and grabbed a fist of his shirt to hold onto, as her head fell down on his shoulder.

She was too weak and exhausted to even try and resist. The last thing she remember was Nathan's soothing words, as he carried her upstairs to the bedroom.

"I've got you, baby. I'm never letting you go."

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>;  
><em>There it is. First of all, I'm sorry for the dark and angsty chapter, but I'm afraid it had to come. I'm also not quite sure how this turned out, because it's late and I'm pretty tired right now. So I apologize if this chapter turned out weird or messy or whatever. <em>_  
><em>

_Since my brain is in serious lack of functioning cells right now, I don't have anything sensible to come up with. So if you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to review or PM me, and I'll try to get back to you later._

_ Thank you guys for reading!_


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer; I'm not pretending to own anything. Or wait, I am. But I still don't own it, sadly enough.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen<strong>

Nathan yawned and stretched his arms above his head, before he grabbed the two cups. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep for the past few nights, and it started to really wear him down. It had now gotten up to three nights in a row without any sleep.

"Here you go" He handed over one of the cups and sat down.

"Thanks."

They both sipped their coffees in silence. Neither of them felt like they were awake enough to make conversation, at least not until they got a little energy boost out of the hot, black liquid, Nathan had brought them.

"I actually spiked the coffee, with an extra spoon of grains, just for you." Nathan joked and turned around in his seat and leaned his head back.

"Bless you, man! This is just way too early for me. It actually physically hurted when the alarm went off this morning." Jake groaned. "And it didn't help seeing Peyton laying there next to me, sleeping like a dead person."

Nathan let out a small chuckle. His thoughts drifted back to the previous nights he'd had. The tiny smile he'd had on his face, dissolved into a resigned and empty look. His mind hadn't been able to shut off for even one second, since Friday night. He'd been walking around with a heavy weight around his heart, and every time his thoughts went back to Haley's words, it felt like someone stabbed him directly through it.

They were now on their way to France. Well, first they had to stop in New York and pick up Mr. Walker, but they had left Charlotte about 20 minutes ago, so their long day of travel had started.

"Haley's asleep already?"

"Umm, yeah. I don't think it took her very long until she passed out, after she'd gotten on the jet."

Nathan had checked in on her, when he'd fixed them the strong coffee. She was curled up under a blanket in one of the seats all the way in the back. Of course the back of the seat was lowered, so that she could lay all the way down, and sleep more comfortably.

These last two days had been the worst days of his life. The sleepless nights were one thing, but Haley had started to distance herself from him. Her protective walls were building up again, and he started to feel frustrated and helpless. She was still determined about the decision of her leaving. No matter what he did or whatever he said, she still wouldn't budge on her decision.

He had tried talking her into reconsider everything, hell he'd even begged her at more than one occasion. But once he'd brought it up, she had turned her back on him, or simply gone mute. It was slowly killing him to see her like this. He knew she was in pain, and this was obviously her way of dealing with all of this. If only she could understand that it was the wrong way to go. It wouldn't make it any better, or easier, for any of them, if that's what she thought. They would both end up being miserable, even more than they already were.

He had used all his energy in getting her to at least come to France with him, so that she could get two whole weeks away, and be sure that Damian wouldn't bother her at all. He had reasoned with her, that it could give her even more time to think and process everything, and then she could take the final decision when she got back. He had thanked the lord and every other higher spirits that may be out there, when she reluctantly had agreed to come with him. He knew that this could be his 'in' with her. This was the tiny little spark of light, at the end of the tunnel, that still kept them somewhat alive. He chose to believe, that if she really was done with him, she would've left him already. So this gave him some sort of hope, that he might would be able to, once again, get through to her. He was fully determined to spend every second of every day, for the next two weeks, together with her, and slowly but surly get her to open up and let him back in. It was not going to be easy, and he had to be patient, but Haley was simply too good for him to just give up on.

"So, was it difficult leaving Peyton this morning? How's she doing by the way?" Nathan suddenly broke out of his mind and asked Jake. He felt like he was drowning himself with all these depressing thoughts, and he needed a distraction, otherwise he would go completely insane.

"You have no idea how hard it was. I almost wanted to call and cancel, but I knew that wouldn't make you or Mr. Walker very happy, so I decided against it." Jake chuckled. "Peyton's getting better every day. I think she said something about getting out of the cast soon too, which will make it easier for her to get around. She's really excited about it." Jake said with a smile on his face.

"I'm glad to hear. I admire the way she has handled this situation. She really is a tough one, Jake." Nathan put his cup into the holder, and placed the headset back over his head, as they were getting closer to New York.

"Yeah, she really is. I don't know where she gets it from. But I'm proud of her." Jake followed Nathan's lead, and placed his headset on too.

He turned his head and looked at Nathan. "How's Haley doing?" He asked with concern.

Nathan had filled him in on the whole Damian situation the afternoon they spent in the hangar. He could tell that Nathan was sleep deprived. And those far off, depressed looks he had, clearly told him that this was more than just a crazy stalker they were dealing with.

Nathan sighed out loud. He actually didn't know how Haley was doing. She wouldn't let him in on what she was thinking, other than the fact that she needed to disappear. Whenever he came close to her and tried to touch her, her body turned rigid before she brushed him off and walked away. He knew this was probably her protective shell, she used to prepare herself for leaving him, but it was still hard to swallow the constant turndowns. She tried to keep him at a distance the best she could, but there were still brief moments when he thought he could see the small cracks in her wall, which allowed him the slightest forms of communication. She was still in the process of building the walls, but he knew that she was also having trouble completing them entirely.

It was painful to have her so close, but yet so far away. God, he missed her so much.

"I don't know, she won't let me near her." Nathan felt his stomach twist.

Jake's heart sunk by the defeated tone of his friend. He felt really bad for him, and for Haley. "I'm sorry, buddy." He paused and tried to come up with something encouraging to say.

"You know, Peyton told me that it's important to not give up on her, no matter how hard she tries to keep you out. It's not really what she wants, she just think that it is." Jake spoke low. "I'm sure that you can find a way to get through to her during these two weeks. You will have all the time in the world, just the two of you together, without any crazy people walking around and messing things up. You just need to have a little faith, in yourself, and in Haley."

_Faith_.

Nathan chewed on the word. He closed his eyes and tried to _feel_ the sense of it. Right now, it was difficult to believe that this small word could have enough power to push away all the other ones that was weighing down on his heart. But he knew Jake was right. He had to believe that sometime, during these two weeks, Haley had to respond to him in some way. Whether she would talk to him or simply just let him hold her, or even hit him, he didn't care. As long as he got some sort of feedback out of her, he was positive that he would also be able to get her to stay, and let him fight this together with her.

* * *

><p>Nathan placed their bags down on the floor next to the king sizeed bed in the suite he had booked for them. The former excitement and joy he'd had about being here with Haley, had been replaced with sadness and discourage. He straightened up and looked around the room. The flowers and the candlelights, he'd had the staff at the hotel arrange for him around the room, made him even more depressed.<p>

He moved his eyes outside to the balcony, and sighed by the sight. Haley was standing with her back to him. Her arms embracing herself, with a sunken head.

She had been sleeping almost the entire flight, and when they arrived at the airport in Nice, she had kept her distance to him, and only did small talk with Jake and Mr. Walker. She mostly let them do the talking, but threw in a few words or sentences here and there, to put on a face for Mr. Walker. She even smiled once in a while, but Nathan could see that it never really reached her eyes. She was there in the physical terms, but her mind was elsewhere.

Whenever he talked to her, she only replied with either 'yes' or 'no', and small nods. He was frustrated and wanted to grab her, by more than one occasion, and shake some sense into her. He didn't know if he could handle her acting like this for two whole weeks. The fire inside of him was already starting to burn out slowly - and this was only the beginning.

Jake had kept sending him sympathetical looks and encouraging nods the entire time. Jake knew exactly what he was thinking, as he stood by watched her talking to them, while they waited for their luggage to be placed into the car that would take them to the hotel.

In the car, Haley had taken the seat next to Nathan, but again he knew that it was just because she didn't want to make it seem weird in front of Mr. Walker, if she had taken the seat on the opposite side. She had kept her hands in her lap the entire ride, and he had been aching to take one of her hands in his, but he couldn't get himself to do it. He was afraid that she would brush him off - again, and that wouldn't look good if Mr. Walker had noticed it. He also couldn't stand the rejection, so he kept his hands to himself.

He kept his eyes glued on her small form outside on the balcony. He wanted nothing more than to go over to her and take her in his arms. His heart constricted and sent a jolt of pain throughout his body, when he saw that her body was shaking. He knew she was crying again. She did that a lot. He started to walk towards her, but halted right in front of the sliding doors, when he heard her sniffled sobs. He hated it when she cried, and he hated it even more that he was unable to do anything about it. He simply didn't know what to do.

His head started to pound uncontrollably. He rubbed his temples and turned back around and went over to the bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and removed his shoes, before he leaned his elbows on his knees and placed his head in his hands. It was late, and he was exhausted. This day had been long enough, and the emotional stress kept eating it's way throughout his body, slowly draining him for whatever energy he had left. He desperately needed to sleep, but he knew that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

He moved his hands and raked them through his hair and got up from the bed. He walked over to the minibar, and grabbed himself a bottle of water and chugged it down. His head was still pounding, and he cursed silently to himself. He went over to the bags on the floor and started to search through them, to find the bottle of aspirin he knew he had brought. He found the bottle at the bottom of his bag, and quickly swallowed two pills. He also pulled out a clean boxer and a t-shirt and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. He needed to get out of this uniform, and clear his head a little. The headache would only get worse if he kept staring at her without doing anything about it, so he decided that a shower wouldn't hurt.

When he came back out, he stopped dead in his tracks and sighed heavily. Haley hadn't moved an inch while he was in the bathroom. He had hoped that she would have gone to bed at least, instead of torturing herself out there. It was also kind of cold outside, and he started to worry that she might get sick if she didn't come back in soon.

He walked slowly towards her, and this time he didn't stop himself from going outside. He stopped behind her with a few inches of distance between them, and raised his hand. He almost placed it on her shoulder, but chickened out and let it fall back down to the side of his body.

Her hair was pulled up in a rubber band, and his eyes were burning into her pale, exposed skin at the back of her neck. She wore a thin, long sleeved, grey sweater, and light faded jeans. It was a casual look, but her beauty was still radiating through. His mind got clouded, when the breeze made her intoxicating scent invade his senses. Again, he wanted to reach out to her, but the fear of rejection got the better of him, so he kept his arms down.

"You should come inside. I don't want you to get sick." His voice was so low, that he wasn't sure if he had actually said it out loud, or if it was only the voice inside his head he was hearing.

He kept watching her in silence for another minute, and when she didn't respond he let out a soft sigh. He leaned his upper body closer to her and raised his hand so it was hovering above her shoulder. He tried to build up his courage to finally be able to take that first step, to let her know that he was here. He had a feeling she would flinch if he did, and probably walk away from him, but at least he would get her to go inside. And no matter how much he hated her dismissal, he would have to take that leap, in order to get started the process of tearing down her walls.

He moved his hand to the side of her upper arm.

"Hales…" He whispered softly and held his breath as he finally put his hand on her arm.

He felt her stiffen up and choke down a loud sob the second he touched her. She didn't move, and for a second, Nathan thought it felt like she was starting to relax her body a little. He was about to close in the last inch, so that his chest would almost completely be in touch with her back, when she suddenly spun around and brushed past him, and went inside.

Nathan clenched his eyes shut and took a couple of deep breaths to control his rapid pulse. He had gotten some sort of reaction out of her, which indicated that she was still in there somewhere, he could feel it. It would take time to get her out of there, and he still wasn't very optimistic, but at least this was a start. At least he hoped that it was.

He turned around and followed her inside and closed the sliding doors behind him. He walked into the other rooms to see if she was hiding in one of them, but figured she'd locked herself in the bathroom, when he couldn't find her. He went back to the bed and laid down flat on top of the covers, while he waited for her to come back out. He turned his head and saw the clock on the nightstand showed 4:20 am. It was slowly turning into another day, and yet another sleepless night. He rested his hands on his stomach and closed his eyes. He felt the pulsating beats from his heart through the palms of his hands, and tried to relax himself into the mattress. But it was useless. He hated the silence that filled the room. He hated the silent treatment Haley was giving him. And he hated how all of this made him feel.

Sad. Empty. Desperate. Scared. Depressed. Helpless. Lost. Exhausted.

They were all there, swirling around. One emotion was replaced by another, and they kept running in cycles, over and over again.

_Faith_.

The word suddenly came back to him. He willingly tried to push out the other emotions, and make this one the major resident in his heart. And as he laid there, putting all his focus on that single word, the tears that had pushed hard behind his weary eyes, pressed their way out and slowly rolled down his cheeks.

* * *

><p>Nathan shot his eyes open. He was still laying on the bed, in the same position. But it was light outside. He rubbed his eyes and turned his head to the side. There was no sign of Haley. He moved his eyes over to the clock. Shit, it was 11:15. Did he actually fall asleep?<p>

_Haley_.

_Fuck_.

He sat up and jumped quickly out of bed. Where the hell had she been all night? He could tell by the look at the sheets next to him, that she hadn't used it. He walked into the bathroom, where she'd been, before he had obviously fallen asleep. She wasn't in there. It was only a couple of wet towels on the floor and their dirty laundry. At least she had taken a shower. There was no water on the floor or any condensation on the mirror, so he figured she had showered right after he'd blacked out.

He walked back out to the bedroom, and continued into the connecting room with the small dining table and the miniature kitchen with the minibar. He continued through, and went into the last room on the right side of the entrance door, that led into the so-called living room. As his eyes scanned the room quickly, panic started to set in. She wasn't there. He turned and ran fast back to the bedroom, and stumbled over his bags so he almost tripped and fell, as he was searching for his jeans. He placed them on and pulled out a long sleeved sweater and pulled it over his head, before he looked frantically around for his wallet and his phone. He eyed them at the small table next to the window and walked over there with two long strides.

He placed his wallet in his back pocket and reached out for his phone. When he raised his head and looked outside, he suddenly froze and let out a huge sigh of relief. He dragged his hand through his hair, and put the phone in his pocket.

She was here. Thank God. She was sitting outside on the balcony, wrapped up under a huge blanket, with a cup of tea in her hands.

He had been so worried that she had disappeared from him. He would've had no idea where to start looking for her, if she had in fact left the hotel. And he was pretty sure that her phone didn't work here either, so he wouldn't have been able to reach her.

He slid the door open, and took a step outside. The air was fresh, but it wasn't very cold, thanks to the sun. He breathed in deeply and took in the view in front of him. The deep, blue ocean went as far as his eyes could go. It was a beautiful sight. There was a small, private beach right under him, which probably belonged to the hotel, and further in there was a small promenade, that followed the small bay all the way out to the end of it. The area next to it was crowded with tables and chairs, from different cafes and restaurants.

He turned around and looked at Haley. She was looking far out in a distance, while clenching the cup close to her chest. Her hair was down in loose curls and she almost didn't ware any makeup. She was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid his eyes on.

He noticed the dark rings under her eyes, and the weary look in her eyes. She probably hadn't slept at all since they got here, but then again, she had slept through the entire flight, so he guessed she was having a little jet-lag in addition to everything else.

"It's beautiful here isn't it?" He spoke softly and kept his eyes at her.

He wanted to go over and sit down in the chair next to her, but decided against it, until he could figure out what kind of mood she was in today. He shuffled his feet on the cool concrete floor of the balcony. He looked down and realized he wasn't wearing any socks, and he could feel his feet starting to get a little cold, but quickly ignored it.

Another minute had gone by, and she still hadn't said anything. Nathan didn't know if he should keep talking or if he should stay silent. She couldn't keep this up forever, she had to talk or at least look at him at some point.

He felt the soles of his feet staring to burn from the cold floor, and hurried back inside to put on a pair of socks. He also stepped into his shoes in case they stayed out there for a while.

When he walked back outside, he went over to the railing in front of her and leaned back into it. She quickly diverted her eyes away from him, and looked down at the cup she was holding in her hands. It stung in his chest. Every time she looked away from him, and every time she kept silent, it tore his heart apart, little by little.

Nathan was desperately trying to come up with something to say, but he didn't want to say the wrong things to her and scare her away even more. He felt like he was walking around on eggshells, and with every step he took, he was afraid that he might break something.

"Do you feel like doing anything today? We could go for a walk around the city? Or we could take a drive out on the countryside? Check out the vineyards." He asked, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere hanging over their shoulders.

She shifted in her seat and sighed. He watched her intently, and tried to read off of her body language. But it was pointless. She looked uncomfortable and her eyes didn't give him anything, they looked empty. Her lip was stuck between her teeth, and she was gnawing down on it hard. He was pretty sure she would bite through the skin, and make herself bleed, if she kept it up.

"Hales…" He sighed. "There's got to be something that you want to do? Or do you want to spend the day inside, catch up on your rest? You must be tired…" He took a few steps closer to her.

"We have two whole weeks to explore, so we don't need to rush things." He moved his feet in slow motion, and stopped one foot away from her.

He held in his breath, when Haley suddenly lifted her head up and looked directly at him. She dragged her hand through her hair once and exhaled sharply. She placed the cup down at the small table that was set between the two armchairs. Then she removed the blanket from around her body, and got up on her feet so her chest was almost crashing with his.

Nathan's heart was beating fast, as he watched her every move. He had to control himself from not take her into his arms, when she got up on her feet so she was almost touching his chest. He swallowed hard when she raised her gaze and looked into his eyes. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he saw that her eyes were conflicted.

Should he say something right now? Or should he wait and see what she was going to do?

Her breath was tickling him as it hit his skin at his neck. His head started to spin uncontrollably by having her standing so close to him. His hands were itching by the desire of wanting to touch her, and he clenched his fists hard at the side of his body.

He started to feel lost in every sense, and carefully inched his head closer to her. He could no longer control his body.

He raised his hand slowly while he moved his body another inch. His mind was completely clouded by her presence. He kept her gaze locked as he hovered above her.

He started to get nervous about his next move. It could end fatally, and put him back at square zero, or it could be the start of the long process of getting her back to him.

He moved his upper body the last inch, so their chests were finally colliding. His heart rate picked up in speed, and he aimed his hand towards her cheek.

He saw her eyes flicker at the physical contact and her eyes started to shine with a new set of tears. He felt a lighting of tingles shoot through his arm and throughout his entire body, when he finally landed his hand on her soft cheek.

He couldn't believe this was happening. He was completely stunned over the fact that she hadn't moved away from him yet, he would never have thought that he would get this far with her. He still couldn't read her eyes, but the pool of tears told him that she definitely felt something too. He felt like he was about to cry himself too by the relief, and by every single sensation that rushed through his body this very moment.

He felt her lean her head into his touch, only for a second, but it gave him even more courage.

"Hales…" He whispered and let his eyes wander across her face.

He could feel her chest was heaving against his own chest, and he started to lower his head slowly when she inhaled sharply. His eyes found her lips and he automatically swiped his tongue over his own in anticipation.

He closed in on her and held his lips so close to hers that he felt her warm breath mingle with his own. He pushed the last few millimeters, and gently touched her lips.

He had to restrain himself from assaulting her completely, and had to use all his willpower as he pulled back the slightest, in order to test her and see where he had her.

Her mouth was half open, and her eyes were closed. Nathan took this as a good sign, and started to move back in to continue the kiss, when he felt her hand push against his chest.

"Nathan…" She whispered.

He pulled his head further back and looked at her. She still hadn't opened her eyes, but he noticed a single tear fall out of the corner of her eye.

"I - I can't…" Once again, he felt like someone ripped out his heart and stepped all over it.

He put his other hand around her waist to try and keep her close to him. He felt that she was starting to resist him again, as her body tensed up.

"Please don't do this…" He probably sounded pathetic right now, as he weakly started to beg her with a quivering voice. But he didn't care.

"I need you to let me in, Hales…please."

She breathed deeply and opened her eyes. When she looked at him, she defeatedly shook her head at him.

"I'm sorry…" She choked out, and tore his arms away from her body, and walked inside the room.

* * *

><p>Nathan was twisting the glass of scotch around at the table and stared blankly out in the room.<p>

After Haley had left him out on the balcony, he had broken down and cried quietly to himself for a long time. He'd never felt so helpless, and so hurt before in his entire life. And that tiny spark of hope he'd had for a minute, was ripped away from him like a rug under his feet. Now he was back to the start again, and he felt his hopes and spirits slowly coming to an end. He was physically and emotionally drained. It was like he had nothing more to give.

How the hell was he supposed to have faith, when he kept getting slammed into the ground over and over again?

When he was all cried out, and finally had managed to compose himself, he had walked back into the room, and found Haley sleeping on the bed. Her tear streaked face showed that she had probably cried herself into sleep. He had contemplated whether he should lay down next to her, to try and get some sleep himself, or whether he should leave her alone. He'd chose the latter, and walked into the other room and turned on the TV. He had flicked through the channels absentmindedly for about half an hour, before he decided to go down to the hotel bar and get a drink instead.

So that's where he was now. He was already on his second scotch. He had found himself a table in one of the corners, more secluded from the other people. He didn't really pay any attention to anything or anyone. He was too exhausted to focus on anything except for his drink. He raised the glass and downed the drink in one quick motion. He placed it down on the table and raised his gaze over to the bar to order another one. When the bartender saw him, he gave him a nod before he leaned back into the chair.

"There you are." Jake patted his shoulder and sat down in the chair next to him. He silently communicated with the bartender, and ordered the same drink as Nathan.

"I went by your room by the way. Haley didn't know where you were, so I figured you'd might be here." He said and saw the solemnly look on Nathan's face.

"Nathan. Hey, buddy. Don't do this to yourself." He knew things hadn't gotten any better after seeing Haley when she'd answered the door. And when he saw the condition Nathan was in now, his worries was confirmed and only kept growing.

He wished that there was something he could do. For the both of them. But he knew that this was something they had to work through on their own. The most important thing was, that they didn't give up on each other. But the look on Nathan's face indicated that he was very close to giving up, if he hadn't already.

"You need to try an…" Jake started out, but got cut off by Nathan slamming his hand in the table.

"I've tried, Jake! It doesn't work, okay." Nathan raised his voice, and people around the bar turned their heads towards them.

The bartender came over with their drinks, and Jake apologized to him for Nathan's outburst, and gave him money for Nathan's drinks and his own.

He pushed one of the drinks over to Nathan and leaned his elbows on the table.

"I know this is hard for you, Nate."

"You don't know shit, Jake." Nathan bit out and placed his hand around the glass in front of him.

"She just won't let me in…" He stared at the glass in his hands and lowered his voice.

"Why won't she fucking let me in…?" His voice cracked at the end. "I can't do this anymore, I just can't…" He whispered and washed down the drink in one gulp.

"Nate, listen to me." Jake paused to get his attention. He quickly took a sip of his drink first, before he focused back on Nathan.

"If Haley didn't want you in her life at all, she wouldn't have come here with you. She loves you, Nate, even if you can't see that right now. I can see the pain in her eyes every time she looks at you. This is just as hard for her as it is for you." Jake tried to reason.

"I don't get it. I tell her all the time. I tell her that I'm here for her. So why the hell won't she just let me help her? Why won't she talk to me?" Nathan asked defeatedly.

"She's scared, Nathan. You told me yourself, that this Damian guy had made threats against you. Threats that literally said that he wanted to remove you from her life."

Nathan sighed and shook his head.

"She doesn't want you to get hurt, and she believes that she can keep you safe, as long as she stays away from you. But the thing is, Nathan, she doesn't want to leave you, can't you see that?"

"The way she's behaving right now, doesn't really tell me that she wants to stay with me." Nathan huffed out.

"I think she's trying to hold on for dear life. But I think that she's keeping you at an arms length and put up this facade, so that you will eventually give up instead, and leave her. I know it sounds completely insane, but Peyton told me that this is what she does. She shuts people out, until they grow tired and leave her alone. In that way she can keep the people she loves out of harms way." Jake finished off his drink and placed the glass down.

"But you need to keep pushing her, and really let her know that you won't go anywhere. That's the only way to deal with her when she gets like this. And eventually, she will let you fight your way through those walls. That is what Peyton had to do. But you have to understand that it takes time, and a lot of patience."

"I don't know if I can do this. I'm not strong enough. You see how I'm already falling apart. It fucking hurts to see her like this, and it hurts even more every time she rejects me."

"You're the most determined guy I know, and I've never seen you give up on anything before, so why start now? I mean, when I know, and you know, hell, everyone knows, that the woman sitting upstairs in that suite, is the one for you - and you are the one for her."

Nathan rubbed his hands over his face. Deep down he knew that he would never love anyone, ever again, like he loved Haley. But this was hard. His heart was fragile when it came to her. And to walk around every day and look at her without being able to hold her in his arms, have conversations with her, laugh with her or kiss her, was excruciating. For every day that passed, he felt like she was slipping further away from him.

He did, however, understand what Jake was talking about. But he was afraid that if he kept pushing her too hard, they would only go one step in the right direction, before they were three steps back again. It would be a never ending, vicious circle, that he knew he couldn't handle.

Nathan suddenly started to feel the effect of the alcohol. He realized he hadn't eaten anything today, and with the serious lack of sleep, it was no wonder he could already feel those three drinks. He let out a yawn and looked wearily over at Jake.

"Go back upstairs, Nate. Get some sleep, so you'll be rested tomorrow. And don't try and talk to Haley tonight, you're not being yourself right now. We'll continue this tomorrow, and then maybe you should give Peyton a call? And let her explain to you how you should handle Haley, and what you can expect for the upcoming days." He said and patted his shoulder.

"And don't you dare go around and think that you can't handle this, because I know you can. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Peyton will kick your ass if you give up on Haley now." He added and chuckled.

Nathan was too tired to laugh, but he smiled weakly, as the image of an angry Peyton popped up into his mind. He didn't really want to test that out, if he was being honest with himself. He'd heard Haley tell stories about Peyton and her temper. And she was definitely a women you wanted on your right side.

He shook his head at Jake, and got up from his seat.

The only thing he was certain about right now, was that he needed to get some sleep. His head was reeling, and he felt his eyes getting heavier. He was unable to separate all the thoughts that swirled around in his head at the moment, and decided to try and forget about it all, just for tonight, so that he might be able to get a good nights sleep. But he knew, that once he was back upstairs in that suite, it would all come crashing back down at him again. One look at Haley, was all it toook, and he would be back in the endless dark.

His head hung low as he walked out of the bar, with Jake by his side. If he was going to survive this, then he needed to see some changes real soon.

Because his aching heart was dangerously close to a breaking point right now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>;_ It's been a while since I've had updates so close to each other. Not at all bad! *pats my own shoudler* But I have to warn you though, do not get used to it._  
><em>So, this was a heavy chapter, and I'm sorry. Please don't hate me. And as you probably noticed, it was all from Nathan's perspective. But don't worry, you'll get into Haley's head too, already in the next chapter, which might help clear things up a little.<em>  
><em>At least they're in France now, and far away from Damian. Guess that's a good thing, or maybe not? <em>  
><em>If you have any thoughtsquestions/ideas, I would love to hear them! Just PM me or leave a review. I promise, I don't bite._

_Again, thank you for reading! _


	20. Chapter 20

****Disclaimer; I don't own anything

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty<strong>

Haley had been sitting outside on the balcony for hours, when she heard Nathan finally start to move inside.

She hadn't been able to sleep at all, since they got to the hotel, but then again, she had slept through almost the entire flight. After she'd gotten a shower, she had found Nathan passed out on the bed. He looked so tired and exhausted so she decided she could go outside and enjoy the view and the cool breeze, instead of staying inside and risk waking him up. He really needed all the sleep that he could get.

As she had waited for the water for her tea to boil, she'd stood in the doorway to the bedroom and watched him. A jolt of pain shot through her body, and ended in her heart like a thousand knives. He looked so hurt and so broken, and it was because of her. She wanted to go over to him, and put her head on his chest and hold him tight, but she knew it would only make things worse in the end. It couldn't work, right?

Her eyes landed at his face, and suddenly images of a beaten up and bloody Nathan appeared in her mind. She shuddered and closed her eyes, in order to will the horrifying image away.

She would never, ever forgive her self if…she stopped herself abruptly. She couldn't even think about it without getting nauseas and get the feeling of her entire world falling apart.

The view out here was breathtaking. She loved the ocean. The sounds. The smell. Somehow it made her calm, and she was able to think clearer. Her usual clouded mind, seemed to open up a little and sort out the thoughts that floated around in her head.

Her mind wandered back to the previous day, the day before they left. She had been indecisive about coming here with Nathan, and she had been going back and forth in her mind, weighing all the pros and cons against the end result. The way things were now, she only had one solution that would be the best for the both of them, and especially for Nathan.

She had been giving Nathan a cold shoulder since she'd found out about what Damian was up to. It wasn't because she blamed Nathan. He had nothing to do with this, yet somehow, he ended up in the middle of it, and it was all her fault.

She knew he was in danger. She had an uneasy, nagging feeling about it, and if it hadn't been for her, he would never have been in this situation. His life would've been uncomplicated and perfect just the way it was, before she came into his life.

Still, with this decision, she couldn't find herself to let him go completely. She loved him with all her heart, and every time she thought about not being around him, she started to feel suffocated. Her entire body ached when she thought about never being with him again. To never see his beautiful smile again. That sexy smirk, or a look from his soft, baby blue eyes that made her head spin uncontrollably.

Could she live without his gentle touches, or the feeling of his warm skin to hers? His soft lips, his strong hands, and that amazing body of his, which literally was to die for? It would hurt, but she had made up her mind. This was the best solution for him, he would be able to move on in time. The only problem was that she just didn't know if she would be able to recover from this.

At first, Nathan had been giving her space, and only asked her once in a while whether she wanted to talk about it or not. He was always so understanding. And he always told her that he was here for her, that he wouldn't let Damian scare him away so easily.

She wanted to tell him so many times, what exactly Damian was capable of, but every time she tried to open her mouth, it was nothing but heavy sighs that came out. She couldn't find the words, it was like she had turned into a mute. She was screaming inside of her head, but nothing would seem to form into actual words. That's when she had turned herself away from Nathan, little by little. She had been able to respond to him with a few words here and there, but it was of no importance. She could see how Nathan got more and more insecure, how hurt and frustrated he looked every time he couldn't get any respond out of her.

She remembered the change of hurt into panic and angst, when she had barley managed to tell him that she might not wanted to come with him to France after all. It had hurt her to tell him, but she figured those two weeks would give her enough time to pack up her things, and move away before he came back. It would be easier to disappear, without him knowing where she was going, if he wasn't home.

But Nathan didn't give up on her. He had begged and pleaded, several times. She saw the desperation in his eyes, and she could hear the sadness in his voice.

It was always the littlest things that made her resurface, somehow, and actually hear him. He would always find a way through the protective wall she had put up around her heart. For him, that wall wasn't even the thickness of a paper. And no matter how hard she tried to expand the wall, he managed to tighten his hold around her heart even more, and prevent her from adding to it.

She had finally given in to him, and to her heart. She still wasn't ready to lose him completely. She never would be. At least now, she would have two more weeks around him, and she could have two weeks to figure out how and where she would go when she came back. She knew this was selfish of her, and she knew it would hurt Nathan even more. She constantly thought about letting all her walls down, and simply be with him. But that would make it so much harder for her to go through with her decision, when it finally came to that. It would make everything more complicated.

She had finally told him that she would come with him, to get away from everything at home, Damian especially. And that she could spend these two weeks to figure out how to deal with everything. He had still looked hurt, but she had noticed a tiny spark of hope in the corner of his eyes. He had been able to calm himself down a little, but he was still careful around her, in case he would end up saying the wrong things so she would change her mind again.

Why was this so god damn hard? And confusing? She wished that someone could just give her the answers to all of this. Or that Damian would disappear into thin air, and be gone forever. She usually didn't go around and hated people, but Damian, she physically hated with every fiber of her body. He disgusted her to no end. And she wished so bad that she wasn't scared of him, but unfortunately, she was.

Her heart rate picked up in speed, when she heard the sliding doors open up. She kept her eyes focused on a wave top that slowly washed in over the shore, and clenched the cup closer to her chest.

She could see him out of the corner of her eyes. His messy hair, his white long sleeved sweater, and his grey faded jeans. God, he was so incredible sexy. She loved his natural, casual, straight out of bed look, and the way he wore those tight fitting sweaters made her skin tingle everywhere.

"It's beautiful here isn't it?" She could hear him say, when he turned around and faced her.

She could feel his eyes, burning into her.

Of course it's beautiful out here, it's absolutely amazing. But she couldn't find her voice. And if she did, she would probably end up saying the wrong things to him, and she didn't want to hurt him more than she already was.

She saw him shuffle his feet around for a moment, before he suddenly ran into the room.

_What the hell was he doing_?

Her question got answered when he came back outside wearing his shoes. His feet must've been cold standing out there, barefoot on the concrete floor. He had probably tried to fight it at first, but then she figured he had to give in, when the cold became too unbearable for him to handle.

Her heart made a tiny flutter and she inwardly smiled.

When he moved over to the railing in her line of sight, she suddenly panicked and moved her eyes down at the cup she was holding in her hands. She knew that if she looked at him for more than a few seconds, she would become lost in him, and her body would take complete and utter control over her mind.

She wanted to get lost in him, so bad.

She missed him. His body. His strong arms. His hands. His lips.

But the little voice in the back of her head told her repeatedly, that if she let herself surrender, it would only make it harder for her to leave when they came back home.

She knew that what she was doing right now, was hurting him - and herself. She saw how insecure and vulnerable he had become, it was like he was scared of her. Scared of being around her. She could hear in his voice, every time he spoke, that he was afraid of what he would say to her. He was afraid that every word he chose would scare her away.

God, why couldn't this just be simple? Why couldn't it just be the two of them, without everything and everyone else?

Right now, she couldn't even explain to herself why she even agreed to come here, other than that she simply didn't want to let him go. How could she let him go?

She was fighting these questions every single second, of every day. And every time Nathan talked to her, or approached her, it became even harder to fight her body - her heart.

"Do you feel like doing anything today? We could go for a walk around the city? Or we could take a drive out on the countryside? Check out the vineyards."

There was his deep, masculine voice again. She felt the vibrations of his voice run through her body, which made her do an involuntary shiver.

She shifted slightly in her seat and let out a sigh, to try and hide the reaction of her body to his voice.

"Hales…there's got to be something that you want to do? Or do you want to spend the day inside, catch up on your rest? You must be tired…"

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as he slowly started to walk towards her.

His soft voice made her head scream and her heart yearn for him.

She could almost feel the taste of blood in her mouth, from chewing hard on her bottoom lip.

"We have two whole weeks to explore, so we don't need to rush things."

Her heart almost stopped when he halted right in front of her. She could feel his nervousness, seep into her own body, by how careful he moved and by the way he talked to her.

His scent slowly invaded all of her senses and made her head spin uncontrollably.

She raised her head and looked at him, as she dragged her hand through her hair, and let out a trembling sigh.

_What is this man doing to me_?

She placed the cup down on the table and got up from the chair. Her breath got caught in the back of her throat when her chest almost collided with his, as she stood up.

When she raised her gaze and met his blue eyes, the little voice inside of her head started to fade away. She was still unable to speak, or move, or do anything. She tried to hold on to the voice that told her to walk away, and not make this any harder than it already was. But she was completely captivated by his soft, blue eyes. The way they were looking deeply into her own eyes, sent a jolt of fire through her body.

When he started to inch his head closer to her, she felt like she was about to fall down as her knees started to feel weak.

_Please don't stop_.

Her head was screaming at him. She needed to feel him, she needed to feel something.

When he took the last step so his chest touched hers, she felt like there was no one else in the world, but them. It was like he broke through the invisible wall when he finally touched her. There was no voice that told her to run away, because she wanted him. She needed him.

Her eyes slowly filled with tears, and she wanted to cry out in relief when he finally touched her cheek. His gentle touch made her face all tingly and warm, and she couldn't help but lean into it.

This is what her body wanted - and needed.

She knew he was still here, and she knew that he would still be with her if things started to get ugly back home. It was still hard to let go of the fear she had, of him getting hurt, even though he repeatedly told her that nothing was going to happen to him. She wanted to believe that. She wished that it could be true. But he didn't know Damian like she did. He didn't know what he was capable of, and he probably didn't think that his threats were in fact real.

"Hales…"

His whisper broke her out of her thoughts, and the air around them thickened with anticipation, as Nathan broke her gaze and landed his eyes on her lips.

She heaved her breath as she saw his lips closing in on her own.

Her halfway, broken heart, felt like it snapped back into place, the second she felt his lips touch her own.

How had she been able to go all these days without the feeling of his warm, soft lips against her own?

It felt like an eternity since the last time, and she was ready to give herself completely to him, when he suddenly pulled back.

Then the voice came back, and those horrifying images of Nathan getting beat up by Damian, entered her mind again. She knew the invisible wall was back up again, and the tears pressed hard behind her closed eyelids, when she felt Nathan move in for another kiss.

This time she found enough strength to raise her hand and softly push it against his chest.

"Nathan…" Her voice came out barley over a whisper as she felt a single tear roll out of the corner of her eye.

"I - I can't…" She choked out.

She tensed up when she felt Nathan take a hold around her waist, and press her body into his.

"Please don't do this…"

His broken voice cut through her like a thousand razor blades, and she couldn't feel anything but pain.

"I need you to let me in, Hales…please."

Her chest started to tighten, and she felt like she was about to pass out as it became harder to breathe.

She slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath, before she looked into his tear filled eyes. Her heart sank by the desperate and hurtful look on his face. This should've never happened. It only made things worse, and she couldn't stand doing this to him, or herself.

She shook her head at him in defeat.

"I'm sorry…" She pulled herself out of his arms, walked into the bedroom and fell down on the bed.

In the end, it would be easier for him to recover from a broken heart, than to never open his eyes again.

* * *

><p>Haley's body shivered as Nathan kissed his way up her spine. His trail of wet kisses on her naked skin, together with his hand that traced the curves of her body, had her entire being tingle in pleasure.<p>

When he reached her neck, he brushed her hair to the side, and kissed his way around to the column of her neck. He worked his way up and down her pulse point while his hand went around to her front and started to knead her exposed breasts.

"Nathann…" She moaned out loud when she felt his hard length press into her lower back, as he moved his body into hers.

"Mmm…what?" He whispered into her skin and sucked on her weak spot behind her ear.

She arched her head back into the pillow and threw her arm over her head to grab a hold of his hair.

So far, he was only touching and kissing her, and she felt like she was about to burst into fire. He was torturing her by the slow movements of his hands over her skin.

His hand left her breast and moved down to her stomach.

Haley hitched her breath, and automatically elevated her leg, when he moved further down and cupped her intimately. His fingers ran in a torturous speed over her folds a couple of times, before they found her entrance.

"You're so wet, baby…" Nathan groaned when he slipped one of his fingers inside of her.

Haley clenched her fist around his hair and pulled at it. She needed more. One finger was not enough, even though it felt so good.

She turned her head so she was halfway facing him and looked into his lust filled eyes. "Kiss me." She breathed out and felt him slip another finger inside her tight heat.

Their lips met in a frenzied kiss. Their breaths became heavier, while their tongues were battling for control and mimicked the movement of Nathan's fingers.

Nathan felt his already painfully, hard erection get even harder, as Haley arched her ass into him.

"I - I need more…you!" She forced out, in between moans.

She hissed when Nathan withdrew his fingers and moved his hand to the back of her thigh. He felt his erection twitch in anticipation, as he shifted down so he could enter her from behind. He lifted her leg and put it over his hip so he could fit between her legs, before he took a hold of himself and entered her in one, deep stroke.

They both cried out in pleasure by the feeling of being joined again so intimately.

Nathan traced his mouth across the back of her shoulder as he pulled out of her slowly, before he entered her again. He repeated the action a couple of more times, to savior the feeling of Haley's tight walls surrounding him completely. He could already feel the tell tale sign in the back of his spine, and moved his hand down to Haley's folds and started to rub her sensitive bundle of nerves. He desperately wanted her to come with him, so he increased the pressure of his fingers while he kept plunging in and out of her.

"Oh, God!" Haley's eyes rolled to the back of her head, when Nathan added the pressure of his fingers.

Her release was approaching fast as the coil in the pit of her stomach started to tighten. She could feel that Nathan was holding back, so she shifted her hips a little, and met him with every stroke to urge him on.

"Faster…pleasee." Her voice hitched at the end when Nathan hit a sensitive spot within her.

She grabbed onto the sheets when Nathan increased the rhythm, making the headboard of the bed dunk into the wall.

"You feel so good, baby." Nathan kept slamming into her frantically, making the dunking sound of the headboard even louder.

Haley was about to reach her climax, when she suddenly snapped open her eyes.

The room was dark, and she was alone. Her body was all covered in sweat, and her breathing was deep, and rapid.

When she realized it was all a dream, she groaned out loud and palmed her forehead. Of course it was a dream. It was either this one, or the other one which had her sweating in a whole different way. She'd take this dream over the other one any day though.

She smiled to herself when she thought about the new turn of event that had occurred this time, when they had going at it so hard, that the bed had actually started to move.

Her smile fainted, when she heard another dunk. She sat up in the bed when she heard it again, but quickly gathered that it was someone knocking on the door.

She sighed, and jumped out of the bed, seeing as whoever was out there, wouldn't go away.

"Nathan?" Haley asked surprised by seeing him standing out there, with a somber expression.

She felt her cheeks heating up as she looked him up and down, while the very vivid dream she'd just woken up from, flashed through her mind.

"Umm…I forgot my keycard when I left earlier." He spoke low and looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" He added and raised his gaze at her again.

Haley quickly diverted her eyes, and felt herself getting a little self-conscious when Nathan looked directly at her. Her body was already heated after just waking up, and then standing here in front of him now, didn't exactly cool her down.

God, he was sexy, even with the solemnly look he had right now. The long sleeved sweater he wore, was tight enough so she could see his bulging muscles through it. And when he raised his hand and raked it through his hair, the sweater rose, so she got a glimpse of the skin at his lower abdomen, right above the hem of his low waist jeans.

She swallowed hard and licked her lips, as a wave of lust rushed through her veins.

She cleared her throat and looked up at him. "It's okay…" She spoke low, not trusting her voice at the moment.

"Can I come in?" He asked and smiled carefully at her.

She looked uncomfortable, and if he didn't mistake, she also looked a little flushed.

But then again, she had just woken up, so she was probably just a little out of it.

Haley made a move to the side, and opened the door for him to enter.

_That smile_.

She hadn't seen that smile in a while, and she knew she was the reason for that, but seeing it again now, stirred something within her. It changed her in a way. She couldn't explain it, but it was like something just left her body and made her see things in a different way. She could see him. And it was like she could suddenly hear everything he'd been saying to her.

When he walked in, his arm brushed up against her, and Haley couldn't contain the audible moan escaping her, by the physical contact.

Her entire body shivered as she slowly pushed the door closed.

When she turned back around, she jumped back into the door as Nathan was still there, watching her closely.

Haley was acting weird. He could've sworn he'd just heard her moan, when he passed her, but it could also just be his buzzed mind playing tricks on him.

He turned around and watched her close the door.

There was definitely something different about her. She didn't seem so dismissive now, like she had been earlier today, and it confused the hell out of him.

When she turned around, she jumped with her back into the door, and placed her hand on her chest.

He kept his eyes at her and took a step closer.

"Are you okay, Haley?" He asked, suddenly feeling worried that something might've happened while he was downstairs in the bar.

Haley closed her eyes for a second, and tried to sort out everything that was going on inside of her right now.

She opened her eyes again, and looked into Nathan's worried eyes, and felt a powerful sting in her heart.

What the hell was she doing?

Why was she trying to push him away? She didn't want to push him away. She wanted to hold on and never let him go. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. He's still the best thing that has ever happened to her.

How could she be so stupid to let Damian control her like this? Again. To let him take control with his psychotic mind games, and push her back into the darkness she'd once been in before? She had promised herself that she would never go back there, yet somehow, here she was.

She wanted to get out. She needed to get out. And she knew deep down, that the man standing in front of her, was the only one that could actually save her from drowning herself.

Why did she let the fear of Damian get in the way of the only good thing she had in her life?

Nathan's hurtful expressions, and desperate attempts to make her talk to him, appeared in her mind, and her heart started to cry.

How could she've done this to him? And how was it possible that he hadn't left her yet? She realized, that with the way she had been acting this last week, it was a full blown miracle that he was still around.

She had to talk to him. She had to make him understand that she still wanted him, and needed him. But right now she wasn't sure if she would be able to talk at all. She was overwhelmed. By everything.

Her lip started to quiver and a single tear rolled slowly down her cheek.

Nathan closed the gap between them, and placed his finger under her chin when she looked down at her feet. He raised her head and looked into her eyes that were now filled with tears.

"Hales…" His voice came out as a faded whisper, due to the lump that formed in his throat when he saw the pain in her eyes.

Haley raised her hand and hesitantly placed it on his chest, above his heart. She could feel his heart beating wildly under her hand.

She lightly grasped onto his shirt, and met his gaze through the pool of tears that clouded her sight. "I'm sorry…" She choked out before she placed her head at his chest next to her hand, and started to cry.

At first, Nathan got a little astounded and didn't really know what to make out of her words. As he quickly gathered his mind, he soon realized what she meant, and placed his arms around her shaking body. He carefully stroked her hair and held her close to him, as she continued to sob uncontrollably.

"Sshh, it's okay, baby." He whispered softly into her hair.

He kept rubbing his hand up and down her back as he placed a gentle kiss at the top of her head.

It truly pained him to see her like this, but on the other hand, he was relieved that it seemed like she had finally broken out of her darkness. He had no idea what had made her come out of this so suddenly, and it worried him a little as to what it might've been.

There was a lot they needed to talk about, and he was sure that Haley knew that too. But for now he was perfectly content with simply holding her tight in his embrace, while she cried into his chest and let it all out.

* * *

><p>Nathan carefully turned his head and saw that it was 3 am.<p>

He had eventually carried Haley into bed, after she'd cried in his arms for a long time, until her body almost gave out completely.

She hadn't let go of him once, since she'd finally thrown herself into his arms. She held onto him, like she was afraid that he might disappear, that she would lose him somehow. He could feel the fear going through her body, and he could feel how remorseful she was.

Now she was finally asleep. She had her head into the crook of his neck, her arm tightly around his torso, and the rest of her body was halfway on top of his.

Nathan had his arm around her and softly stroked her arm that was splashed across his chest.

He was afraid that if he fell asleep, he would wake up tomorrow and find out that this had all been a dream. He was afraid that he would wake up and find Haley back in the state she had been in, these last days. He couldn't risk her waking up while he was still asleep, so that she could start to think again, and disappear back into the never ending darkness she so easily fell into after she'd talked to Damian.

He suddenly felt Haley starting to stir, and grunt incoherent words. The volume of her voice then increased, like she was screaming. When she started to toss and turn her body uncontrollably, Nathan wiggled his body out from underneath her, and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Hales…" He nudged her slightly with his other hand to wake her up from the nightmare she was obviously having.

"Wake up, baby." He raised his voice and hovered above her squirming body.

"No!" Haley shouted and shot open her eyes.

Her entire body was shaking and covered in sweat. Her eyes finally focused in on Nathan after a few seconds, and as she found his soft, blue eyes, her furious heart beats started to slow down.

Nathan kept caressing her arm and whispering soothing words to her, as she tried to calm herself down.

Haley raised her hand to his his cheek, and let out a heavy sigh as she felt his warm skin against her hand.

"It was just a bad dream, Hales. You're fine. I'm fine." Nathan turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand.

She closed her eyes and sighed again.

"I keep having the same dream, Nathan." She started. Her voice was still a little shaky after her nightmare.

"What dream, baby?" Nathan asked carefully and watched her intently.

"It's - I…he always comes back. I'm always at the same spot, on the floor in my living room. And when you come into my apartment, to save me, he attacks you from behind and start beating on you instead…" Her eyes slowly filled with tears.

"There's so much blood, Nathan…" Her words choked into a sob. "A-and there's nothing I can do…" She barely got out before she broke into loud, uncontrollable sobs.

"Sshh, it's okay. It was just a dream, Hales. I'm here and I'm fine. Nothing's going to happen to me, I promise. And nothing's going to happen to you." Nathan laid back down and pulled Haley close into his side. He rubbed her back and nuzzled his lips against her forehead.

"I love you, Haley. I'll always be here to protect you. You've got me forever." He whispered and kissed her skin softly.

Haley felt her sobs slowly subside by the sound of Nathan's words, and the feel of his soft lips against her skin.

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that he would be safe, forever. That they would be safe, forever. And right here, in this moment, his words were true. They were safe and sound, and far away from Damian, so nothing could happen to them. But what when they had to go back home and face reality? They had no idea of what Damian could do, or what he was planning on doing, while they were away. She would end up walking around all day worrying about Nathan. And always be afraid of running into Damian. That was the part she didn't know if she could live with. That was the reason to why she had acted this way, and tried to fight against her heart. Now, she knew that it was impossible to live without him. She had tried, in a way, to prepare her heart for separation. But every single time Nathan spoke to her or touched her, she could feel her heart and her body betraying her, and her entire being would surrender itself to him, even more than it already had.

She didn't have enough power to stay away from this man, it was emotionally and physically impossible. Her heart belonged to him. He was in possession of every single fiber of the beating muscle inside of her chest. Even her body belonged to him. With him. And she was glad that she had finally come to that realization.

But they had to come up with something else, they needed a plan to get through this, otherwise she would go completely insane. She needed to know that Nathan would be safe.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and angled her head so she could look at him. When Nathan locked his eyes with hers, she smiled softly at him. She was amazed by how strong and calm he was. How he was able to still keep faith in her, and in them, after all the pain she had put him through.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, Nathan. I really don't." She started out and tried to find the right words before she continued.

"I can't even begin to apologize for the way I've been treating you these last few days, I don't think any words will ever be enough to explain to you how sorry I am. For shutting you out. For pushing you away…" She swallowed as she felt a tiny sting in her chest.

"I'm scared. You make me feel, Nathan. Things that I've never felt before, and that scares me. I'm afraid that someday, it will disappear. That I'm going to lose you, one way or the other. And I don't think -…"

"Hales…listen to me. I know you're scared of what Damian might come up with. I understand that. But let me just make something clear right now. In a perfect world, Damian wouldn't be around and messing up our lives, and I can assure you, that in that perfect world, I would've never gone away. Not in a million years. Can't you see what you're doing to me?" Nathan interrupted her, and shifted his body down in the bed, so his head was level with hers. He locked her gaze and stared intently into her eyes.

"Damian can do whatever he want. You'll never lose me, Hales. I'm right here, and I'm never letting go of you."

Haley felt a lump forming in the back of her throat by his words. The sincerity in his eyes were shining through, and she felt some of his strength being transferred to her by the way he was talking.

She could feel the weight on her chest slowly dissipate.

If she had ever felt insecure about Nathan in any way, and how he would be able to deal with this situation, it was most definitely about to fade away completely now. How could she have not seen this sooner? Why did she ever doubt that he would be able to push through and be by her side no matter what? He'd told her, over and over again, how much he loved her and that nothing would ever change that. Not even the threats from her low-life, scumbag of an ex.

Haley found his hand and locked their fingers. She looked down and felt a jolt of electricity fire through her arm by the feel of his big, strong hand connected with hers. She smiled softly and moved her eyes back at Nathan.

"I love you, Nathan. I'm sorry if I made you doubt that." She whispered and moved in and found his lips.

She kissed him tenderly and lingered in front of him to take in the feel of him being so close to her again. It had been way to long since the last time, if she didn't count earlier today at the balcony. And that didn't really count, because she hadn't been herself at the time. But now, she felt like she was finding herself again, she was finally able to let herself feel again. And it felt so good. His lips were soft and warm, just like the rest of his body. The tingles from that simple kiss, worked their way throughout her entire body and all the way down to her toes. She smiled again and kissed him one more time.

"This feels good." She mumbled against his lips before she pulled back and snuggled her head into his neck.

Nathan tightened his hold around her, and kissed the top of her head.

"Let's try to get a few more hours of sleep. We have enough days to figure out what we're going to do, for when we get back home, so don't worry about that right now, okay?"

Haley crossed her leg over his and placed a soft kiss on the side of his neck. She loved how he always seemed to know what she was thinking. Her mind was still racing with everything they had to face, and it was hard to let it go. But he was right. They had time to talk about this, and it would be easier if they both got the rest they sorely needed.

"I'll try to let it go for now. But I still owe you an explanation about all of this. And I promise, I'll give it to you tomorrow."

"That's okay, I know you will. But right now I seriously need to get some sleep." He let out a yawn. "A restful sleep that is, knowing that my girl is going to be okay." He added quietly before he let out another deep, yawn.

"She will be." Haley whispered and got herself comfortable, as close as she could, into Nathan's body.

"Sweet dreams, angel." Nathan mumbled, already feeling the sleep pulling at his body.

"Sweet dreams, baby. I love you." Haley said as she heard Nathan's breath even out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _I'm sorry for taking so long to post this, but for some reason, I've been having a hard time with this chapter. And I'm sorry if this came out a little messy and unorganized. I feel like there's something missing, I don't know..I could be wrong though. I was kind of nervous about posting it, so I would love to hear your verdict on it. No pressure, but if you have time to leave me a few words or thoughts, I'd really appreaciate it!_

_And just to let you know, school is going to get a little crazier from now on with tests and prefinals, so I have to ask you to have a little patience with me. I'll try my best to get some writing time in of course, but I can't promise frequent updates._

_Thank you for still reading and keeping up with this story. I love you for it!_


	21. Chapter 21

****Disclaimer; God, I wish I could say that I owned Naley...but unfortunately I don't, nothing except the crazy shit whirling around in my mind is mine. And that's not exactly brag-worthy. Oh, well..

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty One<strong>

Haley breathed in the fresh air and leaned comfortably back into Nathan's chest. Nathan wrapped his arms tightly around her, and for once, she felt safe. The peaceful atmosphere around them somehow made her feel carefree. This was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. She closed her eyes and let the content feeling work its way through her body.

She had woken up this morning in the same position as they fell asleep the previous night. Nathan's grip around her had loosened a little, but she was still laying close to his body with her head on his chest. It had been a while since she had gotten a good night of sleep. She knew that it was because she had opened up again, and let Nathan back in, that she had finally slept like a baby again. She couldn't deny it, she needed him. And it felt good to need someone like this.

She smiled and placed her hands on top of his, as she felt his warm breath close to her ear when he lowered his head next to hers. The familiar small tingles spread their way through her body as he nuzzled his nose into her cheek and placed a soft, chaste kiss on her jaw line.

She had felt that Nathan had still been a little hesitant around her, when they woke up this morning. She figured out from his demeanor, that he probably wasn't sure where he had her still. The worried looks he gave her, told her that he was afraid that she would fall back into the state she'd been in. That yesterday had only been temporarily. She could see that he was still hurting, or that he was scared of getting hurt again, but she couldn't blame him. She would probably also have been a little reserved, if it was the other way around. With the way she had treated him, she could only imagine how he must have felt. How painful it must have been for him.

The morning had gone by with few words. But they had shared many looks and an occasional touch here and there, with reassuring smiles. She still felt drained after last night, and she felt she needed more time before she could start getting into this again. And as the wonderful man he was, Nathan gave her time, and didn't mention anything about it. Instead, he had surprised her when she came out of the shower, with a picnic basket and a rented car. Apparently, he had talked to the hotel kitchen, and made them arrange a basket for them while she was getting ready. And when she had finished up, he had grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, without saying anything about where they were going.

And now, here they were. He had taken them out of the city, and found a nice, quiet place, close to a gigantic, beautiful vineyard, with miles and miles of verdant hills that overlooked the sea. It was amazing and so beautiful. Nathan had the talent of being a romantic when he really wanted to. He was amazing. And he was all hers.

Haley turned her head, that rested against his shoulder, and looked at him with a smile.

"Thank you, Nathan. This was just what I needed." She said, and squeezed his hands.

"This is just the beginning, Hales. I've arranged a wine tasting for us, together with Jake, later this week. And next week I've planned for us to go to Antibes and Cannes." He winked and flashed her his famous smirk.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises today?" She said pleasantly surprised.

"I figured it would be best if we kept ourselves busy most of the time, and simply live in the moment. You know, just enjoy each other and what this beautiful country has to offer." He said softly.

Haley felt her heart flutter instantly by how caring and considerate he was. How he wanted to take her mind off of things, and make her forget about everything while they were here. And that's why she had to get everything off of her chest today, so that they could, in fact, enjoy each other and the days they were going to spend here. The future would still be there, but she could at least get the darkness of the past locked away, and focus on right now. She owed him at least that.

Haley looked into his eyes and smiled.

"You're amazing, you know that? And you're right." She paused for a second and saw his smirk resurface.

"Well…stating the obvious here, baby." Nathan said playfully.

"Ugh, we have to something about that ego of yours." She huffed and shoved him lightly in the shoulder, with a playful smile on her face. His confidence was one of the things she secretly loved about him, but if she told him, she would never hear the end of it, so she decided to try and tone him down a little instead.

"Just admit it, you love it. I can see it in your eyes." Nathan chuckled and hovered his face in front of hers.

Haley felt her stomach do a tiny flip flop while a small shiver ran down her spine. She playfully narrowed her eyes at him and palmed his cheek.

"Hmm, that might be, but you know I can never tell you that."

Nathan leaned into Haley's touch and closed his eyes.

God, he had missed her. Her voice. Her soft touch. Simply just being close to her.

He opened his eyes again, and found her beautiful, brown eyes staring back at him. He smiled and started to lean in, but quickly stopped himself, when the thought of her maybe not being ready for this next step, hit him. She had still been a little reserved this morning, and still was. But she talked to him and let him near her, which was a huge change from the previous days, and a big step in the right direction.

He shifted his eyes down to her lips. He felt desperate of the want to feel them against his own again, even if it was just for a little while.

"Come here." Haley whispered and moved her hand around to the back of his neck to close the small gap between them.

The kiss was slow and tender. Almost like a first kiss. They were both testing each other out and neither of them wanted to do anything that could maybe scare the other away.

Haley felt her head started to spin by the feel of Nathan's soft, warm lips. She wanted to lose herself completely in him, but knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to talk. She nibbled softly on his upper lip, and lingered a few seconds in front of his mouth, before she pulled back and rested her head against his chest again.

She felt Nathan's fingers raking through her hair, and let out a huge sigh, when his fingertips grazed her scalp.

"I don't want to move away from Charlotte, Nathan. My life is there. I love my job, and I love the people I work with. Peyton is there - she's my family. You…" She trailed off. Her heart started to ache by the thought of leaving Nathan behind. How could she have been so stupid, to think that it would make everything better and easier? He was the reason she was able to breathe right now, and she had a feeling that that would never change.

Nathan kept playing with her hair, as he listened to her speak. He wanted her to continue on her own terms, because he knew she had more to say, so he chose to stay silent. He kissed the top of her head, when he heard a small sigh escaping her.

"I thought that if I left, I would make everything better. That I would be fine and you would be fine. Eventually. But if I end up leaving, it would only mean that he won. That he got just what he wanted, and I don't want that, I can't let him manipulate and control my life like that again." She paused for a second, to control the sobs that kept crawling into the back of her throat.

"I can't live without you, Nathan." She choked out and grabbed a hold of his shirt.

Nathan enclosed her fist in his hand and carefully placed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I know, baby. I'm not going anywhere." He nuzzled his lips against her forehead.

"I'm here for you." He whispered into her skin when her sobs increased.

Haley sniffled and wiped her tears after a few seconds, and tilted her head so she could look at Nathan.

"I just don't know what to do. How can we make him stay away from us? How can we make sure that he won't hurt us? You, especially. I don't think a restraining order will be enough, he wouldn't give a shit about that."

Nathan looked into the deep, brown eyes, that made him feel everything at once.

Stillness. Happiness. Love. Comfort. He felt alive. She made him feel alive.

God, he loved her.

He couldn't believe that he came so close to giving up on her. It wouldn't have been worth it. He would've hated himself for the rest of his life, if he had ever walked away from her. He silently thanked Jake, for helping him see what was right, and for Haley, that snapped out of her dark hole at the time when she did.

He looked intently into her eyes, that was glistening with tears, confusion, and fear.

"I'll make a few calls and see what I can do. See if we have a case at all. But I will _not_ let him get away with this. And I will _not_ let him chase us away from our home. Whatever happens, we're gonna face this together, Hales. You know that, right?"

Haley closed her eyes for a brief moment.

Chase _us_ away.

_Our_ home.

Her heart swelled and almost bursted out of her chest.

She opened her eyes again and found Nathan's eyes. The promise and the love they held, made her completely speechless. Her voice wouldn't hold right now, if she tried to speak, so she smiled lovingly at him and nodded her head.

When Nathan returned her smile with one of his genuine, real smiles, she felt her body go into overdrive. The tingling sensations fired through her body, they hit every surface of her skin, making her shiver uncontrollably.

"Are you cold?" Nathan asked when he felt her body tremble.

It wasn't exactly summer warm outside, even though the sun was out. He could feel the cool breeze, that once in a while, would make the small hairs in the back of his neck to rise. So he leaned over to the basket and grabbed the extra blanket he'd brought, to put around Haley.

"Here you go." He tucked her in and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

"Thank you." Haley said, and indulged herself in the feeling of being wrapped up in a blanket, with Nathan's strong arms around her.

"But I wasn't really freezing…" She spoke low and pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, as she looked up at Nathan through her eyelashes.

Nathan's heart almost jumped right into the back of his throat, when he saw the look in her eyes, and the sound of her low voice, that he swore, held a hint of huskiness. A shiver ran down his spine, and immediately alerted a certain part of his body.

He cupped her face and stroked his thumb across her cheekbone. He locked her gaze, and slowly lowered her down onto the blanket they were sitting on. She was now laying down on her back, staring intently back at him, making his heart rate blow out of proportions. He traced his hand down her cheek, and further down her neck, over her pulse point, until he came to the edge of the blanket he'd put around her. His eyes stayed locked with hers, as he carefully opened the blanket and unfolded it from her small, perfect frame. He let his hand delicately move over her naked chest until he came to the hem of the neckline of her top, which was just above her cleavage. He continued his way down on top of the fabric, in the valley between her breasts, and down across her stomach. He then moved his hand to her waist and rested it there.

Haley kept her eyes at him. Completely transfixed by his blue, sparkling eyes, and combined with the touch of his hand, made her entire body turn into an explosion of sensations. The anticipation inside of her increased with every second, and she wondered what his next move would be after he stopped his hand at her waist. She wanted to feel more. She could feel her body burn by the sudden want and need of him. She had deprived herself long enough for the intimacy and the closeness, and now she really needed to feel him.

Haley slid her body so she was more underneath him, and raised her hand to his face. She smiled tenderly at him and stroked her knuckles over his lips and chin.

"Are you okay?" She asked carefully, starting to feel a little self-conscious by his intense gaze.

Nathan was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice, and involuntarily squeezed the hand that was resting on her waist, when he got a little startled.

When he saw that Haley started to squirm and twist underneath him, he continued to tickle her.

"Na-thann, don't!" Haley pressed out in between her crying laughs.

Nathan knew how much she hated to be tickled, but he couldn't help but think how much he had missed that laugh. That wonderful sound. So he kept torturing her a little longer.

"I - beg you-u. Pleas-ee stop!" Haley tried to break his hand away from her sides while she writhed her body from side to side. But she was stuck underneath his body. And with the lower part of his body completely on top of hers, there was no way out. He was too heavy for her to get away from.

When his thumb came in contact with her bare skin that was now visible after her top had risen up, he heard Haley suck in a sharp breath, and she stilled the movements of her body. He quickly halted his ministrations, and swallowed hard. He had felt it too.

Their laughters died down, and the atmosphere around them changed as blue met brown once again.

Nathan felt himself being drawn towards her. Her big, brown, glistening eyes were slowly wheeling him in, and within the next second, he had connected their lips. The kiss was explosive and frantic. Tongues were battling with each other, while hands explored all the way from head down to the linings of the pants.

When Nathan moved his hand to the center of Haley's stomach, she let out a loud moan into his mouth, which caused Nathan to groan himself. The feel of her thigh against his crotch had his body going into high gear, together with the taste of her amazing lips. There was no better feeling than being with Haley like this. She made his body come to life, in every way, by the simplest touch. And this was no exception, seeing that it had been a while since she had touched him or given him any kind of response.

He delved in the feeling of his hand against her soft skin and slowly inched it up towards the underline of her bra.

Haley held onto the collar of his shirt with one hand, while the other kept playing with the small hairs in the back of his neck. When Nathan moved his mouth along her jawline and found her spot just below her ear, she pulled his body closer to hers and moaned out loud again. God, she had missed this. His lips felt so good against her skin. The burning sensation in between her thighs were slowly starting to drive her crazy, as Nathan kept sucking on her neck and finding his way to her breast with his hand.

"I've missed you, baby." Nathan whispered huskily into the skin of her neck, right when he dipped one of his fingers into the cup of her bra and found her already hardened nipple.

"Ohh - " Haley's words got caught in the back of her throat when Nathan flicked his finger over her nipple.

She arched her body into his and slung one of her legs over his hip, to bring his lower half even closer than he already was.

"I've missed you too" She whispered in a trembling voice, as every sensation in her body made her quiver in pleasure.

It felt like she was almost ready to explode, and they hadn't even shed any clothes.

Nathan moved his hand around to her back and unclasped her bra, to free her perfect breasts. He couldn't stand the barrier between them and his hand right now, so he had to loosen the bra to get proper access. He started to tug at it, but quickly halted when he heard Haley's soft giggles. He raised his head and looked at her, a little annoyed that she'd started to laugh, because it totally ruined the moment.

"What?" He huffed out in frustration.

Haley couldn't help but break out into a fit of giggles, when she caught the frustration and annoyance in the tone of his voice.

Nathan kept staring at her, and felt his painfully hard member press against his pants, which didn't make him any less annoyed by the fact that Haley was now laughing at him.

"What's so funny?" He tried again.

Haley raked her fingers through her hair and tried to choke down her laughter.

"Aww, you're so cute, baby." She was finally able to get out after a while.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" Nathan was confused. He had no idea what she was talking about. It was annoying as hell, because here he was, feeling like the worst case of blue balls there ever was, and she stopped it all by laughing, and then ended up saying that he was cute!

Haley had to fight to hold back her laugh, as it threatened to break out again. She pulled her lip between her teeth and palmed Nathan's cheek.

"My bra, Nathan. You know you can't remove my bra, when I'm still wearing my top, right?" She suppressed another giggle as she saw the realization of the situation appear in his face.

Nathan realized quickly what she was saying, and mentally slapped himself for being so caught up in the moment. This probably made him seem like an amateur, when he tried to picture the entire thing from Haley's point of view. How he had tugged at her bra, like an impatient, dorky teenager, only to get better access to her breasts.

He closed his eyes for a second and groaned out loud.

My god, he was adorable.

Haley saw how embarrassed he got and didn't understand why he let this get to him so easily. They were both very much caught up in the heat of the moment, and she didn't notice it herself until she felt him tug at it to remove her bra entirely. That's when it hit her that she was still also wearing her top, which made her break into a laugh.

Haley suddenly heard someone talking, and turned her head towards the sound. When she saw a group of people walk across the field, she remembered where they were, and immediately started to blush. Thank god they were still wearing their clothes, cause that could've been embarrassing.

She palmed her forehead and turned her head back to Nathan, which had also noticed the people a few hundred meters away from them. When Nathan glanced back at Haley with one of his smirks, her face turned dark red.

"Too bad we got held up by that bra of yours, huh? Otherwise we could've given them one hell of a show." Nathan cocked his eyebrow and chuckled, when he saw Haley's face and neck turn into that cute, blushing color.

"Oh you would like that, wouldn't you?" Haley huffed out, and swatted his shoulder lightly, before she sat up next to him.

"Hey, whoa, what are you doing?" Nathan asked astounded when she started to fiddle her hands under the top to re-clasp her bra again.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She looked at him seriously, and had to suppress a smile by the look on his face.

"No, no, no, come on Hales." Nathan sounded a little desperate and tried to pry her hands away from underneath her top. He moved his mouth close to her ear and whispered huskily. "I don't mind if we have an audience." He smirked and placed a wet, lingering kiss right below her ear lobe.

Nathan's warm breath against her ear caused her to shiver, and another set of tingles shot through her spine by the sound of his husky voice. Haley let out a breathy moan when he kissed her and slowly started to lean into him. She tilted her head as Nathan trailed his lips down the column of her neck, while his hand was resting on the flesh of her stomach.

Haley suddenly snapped out of it, when she heard the chattering again, and this time they were even closer.

"Mmhh, Nathan…not here." She spoke up and pushed lightly at his chest.

Nathan hung his head and let out a defeated groan. He withdrew his hand from underneath her top and rested it on top of her thigh, and raised his head when he felt her hands on his cheeks.

Again, Haley had to hold back a giggle when she saw the pain and desperation in Nathan's eyes. She gave him a sympathetic look before she gave him a quick peck in the lips.

When she pulled back she looked him in the eyes and made sure he was with her. "Come on, let's go back to our room." She whispered in a seductive tone and added a sexy smile, before she slowly started to get up on her feet.

Nathan's breath got caught in the back of his throat, by the change in Haley's demeanor - and not to mention that fucking sexy voice of hers, combined with the killer smile, that made him throb in excruciating pain. He watched her get up on her feet and was unable to contain the deep, guttural groan, when she bent down, right in front of his face, so he got a perfect view of her tiny, firm ass - as she started to pack their stuff back into the basket.

Nathan couldn't move. He was completely paralyzed by the sight of the petite brunette in front of him. Not to mention his hard on, that was extremely painful at the moment. And it didn't help the matter, the way Haley was moving around either. The way she was swaying her hips and then pop her perfect, little ass in the air, whenever she picked something up from the ground.

"Fuck!" Nathan cursed quietly, as he tried to get up, but felt the tightness in his pants throb like crazy and make it extremely hard to move.

He heard Haley giggle by his outburst, and fell down on his back. He raked his hands through his hair and closed his eyes. He focused on calming himself down, with every possible thought that would turn him off, so that he could get the hell out of here, and back to their hotel.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked straight into Haley's giggling face that was hovering above him.

"Come on, hot shot. What's taking you so long?" She teased him and darted her eyes down to his bulging pants.

"You - are going to be the death of me, Haley James." Nathan groaned out loud, as Haley picked up the basket and slowly started to walk towards the path that lead to where they had parked the car - while laughing loudly.

* * *

><p>He walked slowly through the living room. Making sure to take a good look around. He had cut the power earlier, so that he wouldn't cause any alarms to go off, when he broke in through the backdoor of the house.<p>

When he came to the small side table, by the end of the couch, he picked up the framed photo that was sitting there. It was a picture of them, together. She was laughing, while he was looking at her with adoration and a big, genuine smile.

He clenched his jaws together and squeezed the frame in his hand, almost to the point where he broke it. It disgusted him to see that guy looking at her like that. No one, except for him, were supposed to look at her - in any way. He felt the rage rush through him so that his hands started to shake uncontrollably.

Fucking prick.

He quickly placed the frame down on the table, and walked towards the hallway.

He couldn't understand how it was possible that she looked so happy. She looked so carefree and at ease - but it had to be an act. He knew she didn't love him, not in the way she loved him. She was probably just waiting for the right moment to give him the boot. When she was sure that he would have everything sorted out and ready for her to come back to him, she would probably kick his sorry ass out.

There was only one obstacle that kept them away from each other right now, and as soon as they came back, he was going to take care of that, once and for all. Once he would get this done, he knew that she would be grateful for what he did for her, for them - so they could finally start over and begin the rest of their lives together.

He made his way through every room in the house, while he went through the plan in his head. He had almost everything sorted out, and knew what he had to do - what would be the easiest thing to do. It was absolutely perfect.

He smirked to himself, and when he stepped into the master bedroom on the second floor, he walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge, next to where it looked like she was sleeping. He noticed the hand lotion, and the girly book at the bedside table, so it was safe to say that this was her side of the bed.

He removed the black glove on his hand, and stroked his palm softly over her pillow. He leaned down and inhaled the mixed scents of her shampoo and her perfume. She smells fucking amazing. He couldn't wait to finally be able to run his nose across her skin again. To finally have her body pressed against his own. Feel her naked skin, and her breasts pressed up against him.

He felt himself getting rock hard by the thought, and groaned.

He got up on his feet, reached into his pocket and pulled out the small object. He held it up in front of his eyes, and suddenly got filled with memories from the past. She used to love this, she would never let it out of her sight. And he was positive that she would be happy to see it again. Then she would definitely know how he felt, and she didn't have to walk around and pretend anymore.

He stayed in place for another minute and nodded to himself in satisfaction. His plan was brilliant, there was no way in hell that this wouldn't work - he had it all under control.

Now, all he had to do was wait for the perfect moment, once they were back.

* * *

><p>Nathan was laying on his stomach with heavy eyelids, and fought against sleep. He was exhausted to say the least, but in a good way. They had definitely made up for lost time after they came back from their picnic trip.<p>

He smiled lazily to himself when he felt the bed shift next to him. It didn't take long before he felt the sheet, that was resting low on his waist, being lifted, and a warm, naked body crawling on top of him.

He could feel his skin tingle when she left soft, wet kisses in between his shoulder blades and continued upwards to the back of his neck. When she trailed her lips around the the side, she found his earlobe and nibbled softly at it, while stroking his upper arms, that was spread out next to his head, with her hands.

Nathan really was tired after their earlier activities, but for some reason he felt himself slowly starting to react again to Haley's ministrations. He loved how soft, and tender she was. The combination of her hands, her lips, and her naked skin pressed into his, made the most incredible sensations run through his body. He could never get enough of her. The twitch between his legs was a definite proof of that, as Haley breathed out a soft moan while she kept working her mouth on his ear.

"Are you falling asleep on me?" She purred sexily into his ear.

"Is my girl frisky today?" Nathan asked in a low voice.

Haley kissed her way around to his lips and looked at him while licking her lips.

"Crazy frisky." She whispered, before she claimed his lower lip, making sure she worked at it properly by sucking and licking it.

Nathan couldn't help but let out a deep, guttural groan by the sound of her sultry voice, combined with the sweet taste of her lips. The fact that her breasts was pressed firmly into his back didn't exactly put a damper on the sensations that quickly developed within him. When he felt Haley was about to pull away from his lips, he grabbed her wrist and in one quick motion, flipped her over - in which a loud squeal escaped Haley - before she was securely placed on her back.

Haley instinctively placed one of her hands on her chest and grabbed a hold of Nathan's biceps with the other hand.

"Hey, don't cover up my perfect view now:" Nathan smirked down at Haley and moved the hand away from her chest. She felt him intertwine their fingers and place their joined hands at the mattress next to her head.

Haley playfully narrowed her eyes at him but still couldn't contain the smile.

"Ugh, you're such a guy…" She said and lightly squeezed his arm.

When she felt the firm, bulging muscle under his skin, her body quickly started to heat back up again, after that gymnastic flip she'd just involuntarily been a part of.

Nathan smirked and lowered his head. "Yeah, but I'm your guy." He whispered, mere centimeters away from her lips.

Haley could feel his warm breath fanning out at her lips, and automatically swiped her tongue over them. She slid her hand up his arm and over his shoulder, before she stopped at the back of his neck. She stroked her hand up and down in his hair, which made Nathan close his eyes for a brief second. When he opened them up again, Haley put a little extra pressure with her nails at his scalp and whispered. "Yeah, you're my guy." Before she pulled him in and closed the gap between them.

Haley could feel her heart was about to burst out of her chest as their lips connected, and when Nathan squeezed her hand and slid his other hand up the curves of her body, she let out a deep, guttural moan and arched her lower body into his. The intense want and need for him was back again in full force. It was really amazing how quick the atmosphere around them changed. One second it was fun and lighthearted, the next one they were practically assaulting each other, and the PG-13 line was not even to be seen at the same continent.

She had no idea to how she had been able to stay away from him like she had, and wished with all of her heart that she could've taken that back. Sadly, it was too late to change the past now, but she sure could try and make up for it - which was exactly what she was doing. It was physically impossible to ignore what her body was craving right now. Every single part of her skin was burning, and her stomach was twisting and slowly building up that amazing tight coil, that she wanted and needed to explode - and rather sooner than later.

Haley reached in between their bodies and found Nathan's insanely hard member. As she started to pump him gently with her hand, Nathan did an involuntary jerk with his lower body and groaned into her mouth.

"Ohh, fuck! That feels so good, Hales." He choked out and moved his lips to her neck.

He untangled his hand from hers, and moved it down to her center. He needed to feel her, he needed to reciprocate what she was doing to him. When he dragged his fingers through her folds, he almost came in an instant when he felt how wet she was.

"God damn it, you're already so wet, baby." His voice was trembling along with his heavy, staggered breaths.

Haley was about to answer him, but her words got caught in the back of her throat when she felt Nathan slip two fingers inside of her.

"Nathann…" Her eyes snapped shut, as she felt him graze one of her sensitive spots when he dragged his fingertips along her walls.

Nathan suddenly pulled his fingers out of her, just as quickly as he had entered her, and covered her hand that was clasped around his shaft.

"Baby, I can't…I have to…" He couldn't even finish his sentence. He felt Haley spread her legs even further and cradle him in between her thighs.

An incoherent sound escaped Haley, when he placed himself at her entrance, barley touching her with his tip. He looked at her and saw that her eyes were closed, and her lips were slightly parted.

"Open your eyes."

Haley's head was spinning by the feel of him circling around her entrance. Her eyes were heavy, but she forced them open, when she heard Nathan's husky demand. She knew he wanted to watch her when he entered her, and she wanted to watch him too as they united their bodies into one.

She fixed her gaze at his blue pools, and allowed him to pull her in with the immense intensity his eyes held. She lost herself completely in him, and got caught a little off guard when he suddenly entered her, but in a slow, torturous pace.

Haley had to fight hard to focus on him, so her eyes wouldn't roll to the back of her head, when she felt him push all the way inside of her. She loved this feeling. Every time he entered her, she always felt like her body was about to be torn apart by the overwhelming, explosive sensations it created, when he filled and stretched her to the fullest. He was so big, but he fitted so perfectly.

Nathan watched Haley carefully and fought hard to keep his own eyes open, as the feeling of her tight sheath once again closing around him. She was so tiny, but he was amazed by how her body were able to adjust and form so that he could fit inside of her - making him a perfect match for her, and vice versa.

When he'd pushed all the way in, he slowly pulled out, almost entirely, before he repeated the action.

"God, I love the way you feel around me." Nathan groaned out.

Haley raked her fingernails across his chest and around to his back. She bit her lip to stifle a moan when Nathan shifted the angle of his hip, so he hit another sensitive spot. Hell, she felt like every single fiber of her surface was like a sensitive bundle of nerves. It didn't matter where he hit her, it was always like this with him. The incredible friction, even just the thought of him so deep within her. He made everything feel so god, damn good!

Haley put her legs over his waist and crossed her ankles, to spur him further on. She needed him to go faster. The tight coil in the pit of her stomach was building fast, and she felt like it wasn't long until it would snap and make her scream out his name like she always did.

"Ohh, God. Yessss." Haley moaned out when Nathan increased the speed, as she squeezed her legs tighter around him.

She grazed her fingernails up his back and heard Nathan choke back a groan. She could feel that he was also close, so she kept her ministrations with her hands on his back, and started to clench her inner muscles on every upstroke.

"Fuckkk." Nathan choked out when he felt Haley squeezing her walls around him.

"Let it go, baby." Haley murmured as she felt Nathan's movements starting to slow down. That was a sure sign that he was about to burst, and she knew that when he did, it would make her come too.

Haley moved her hands to the back of his head, and pushed him down so she could connect their lips. They were barley able to taste each other, as the powerful sensations they both felt in the lower parts of their bodies, were too strong to actually focus on anything else.

"I love you." Haley whispered into his mouth.

The same second Nathan stilled his movements as he let himself go.

Haley felt him twitch and empty himself inside of her, which triggered her own release. His name fell off of her lips over and over, as she experienced one of the most powerful orgasms she'd ever had.

It took them both a while to come down. Their breaths were still shaky and heavy. Nathan let his head fall down and nuzzled his lips over Haley's collar bone, and up the side of her neck until he reached her ear.

"I love you too, Hales." He said and let his lips linger in front of her ear for a second, before he made the move to roll off of her.

Haley unclasped her legs from around him, and followed him as he placed himself next to her on his back. She snuggled herself into the side of his body, placed her head on his shoulder and draped her arm across his torso.

Nathan kept running his fingers up and down her arm, while they lay there in silence, both trying to catch their breaths.

After another moment of silence, Nathan started to chuckle.

Haley angled her head and looked up at him. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about what show we could've given those people that was having that vineyard tour earlier." He smirked down at her.

Haley gasped and pinched him in the side.

"Ouch! What are you pinching me for? It's true!" He chuckled and winked at her.

"I can tell you right now, mister, that that would've never happened!"

"Why not? So you're telling me that you would never have sex in a public place?"

Haley traced her hand over his chest, and circled her finger around his nipple.

"I never said that…" She trailed off and bit her lip as she glanced into Nathan's eyes.

Nathan almost swallowed his tongue as the words left her, and combined with that sultry look she was giving him right now, he swore he almost felt himself restore again. What a fucking turn on!

"Are you challenging me, Hales? Cause you know, you're gonna regret it one day." He smirked and evoked a tiny giggle to escape her.

"You promise?" She smirked back at him and started to laugh when Nathan groaned out loud.

"God damn it, that's so not fair! My girl's a dirty player…so hot!" His head was already spinning, and he felt excited by the simple thought.

"I have my moments." Haley teased and moved her head closer to his neck.

"You do realize that I won't be able to think about anything else from now on, whenever we're out, right? The seed is already planted, Hales."

Haley laughed and nibbled lightly on his earlobe. "And what if that was my intention all along?" She smiled when she felt Nathan shiver.

"Like I said before, you will be the death of me, Haley James." Nathan groaned and chuckled. "But what a marvelous way to go." He added and moved his hand down to her hip, before he lifted her so she was sprawled out on top of him.

Haley raised her head so she was looking directly at him. She was pretty sure she would never hear the end of this, and every time they were out, he would probably take every opportunity he had to make this a reality. But the fact was, that she was just as excited about this idea as he was, if not even more. But she decided to keep that to herself, at least for a while. It was going to be so much fun to see how he would try to handle this, because she knew that when it came to sex, Nathan Scott wasn't a very patient man.

She placed her elbows at the side of his head and put her hands in his hair. She smiled softly at him and leaned in and gave him a deep, tender kiss.

"Mmm, you know what I want?" She asked while hovering in front of his mouth.

Nathan slid his hands up her back. "No, but I guess you're about to tell me." He whispered and moved in to find her lips again.

Haley halted him by putting her index finger on his lips, and smiled when Nathan opened his eyes in surprise.

She removed her hand and raised her eyebrow at him. "I really, really want to…take a shower." She said, and rolled herself off of him, and quickly out of bed, before he even had the chance to react.

"What the…!" Nathan got up on his elbows and turned his head after her. "Hey, come back here…" He whined when he felt the warmth of her skin disappear, leaving him cold and alone at the bed.

Haley stopped by the door that lead into the bathroom and glanced over her shoulder. She tried to contain her laughter by the sight of his baffled expression.

"You know, there's room for one more if you're interested? I might even let you wash my back." She teased and walked giggling into the bathroom, when she heard Nathan stumble his way out of the bed, and sprint after her.

_Oh, God. What did I just put myself into_?

She smiled. Her man was insatiable, but then again, so was she.

As Nathan caught up to her and swiped her off the floor, she squealed in surprise and started to laugh. When they got into the shower cubicle, she turned around and faced him, after he'd put her down.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy before." She said seriously. "And it's all because of you, Nathan." She added, and felt her heart beat a mile a minute when Nathan smiled lovingly back at her, and tenderly stroked her cheek.

Yes, she was definitely going to be fine. How could she not? As long as she had Nathan, she knew that everything was going to be okay in the end. He was all that mattered, and he was everything she needed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; _Happy OTH Wednesday! Since there's no Naley in this weeks episode, I figured why not give you an update today? This was a rather uneventful chapter, but think of this as my tribute to last weeks Naley reunion. Who doesn't want a little fluff, right? I'm still an emotional wreck after that one, by the way. My Naley heart is bursting with happiness! I know, fangirl problems, but I'm not even a little bit sorry. lol_

_And again, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to get this out. You can all blame my university, I know I do. Hope it won't take me too long to have the next one up. _  
><em>Until then, enjoy the second to last OTH episode tonight. (I'm crying just by thinking about it..ugh!)<em>

_Anyway, thanks to all of you that still read, review and to all of you that alert/favorite etc. It's truly appreciated!_


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer; I don't own anything, I just borrow the characters and minor plot from the brilliant mind of Mark Schwahn and the OTH writers.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Two<strong>

Haley leaned comfortably back into the seat and glanced out the small window. She loved this view. The clouds were like a velveteen blanket, spread out across the infinite sky. The sunset created a beautiful specter of colors in the horizon. The bright yellow, in contrast with the scintillating contour of pink, which blended so perfectly on top of the blue-gray color of the clouds as the sun slowly disappeared.

She smiled softly to herself and let out a quiet sigh. Even though she was a little anxious about flying, this somehow gave her comfort and an inner stillness. Besides, she knew she was in good hands with Nathan and Jake at the helm.

She closed her eyes and felt a rush of pride and joy course through her by the thought of Nathan. She was in awe at how accomplished he was. How professional and passionate he was with everything that concerned around his company. She loved to watch him when he interacted with his clients, and the crew that helped out with the aircraft. And no matter where he was, or who he was talking to, he always handled it with such grace and calmness, which influenced the people around him, every time. She had never seen once on this trip, anyone that disagreed or got upset with him. And if there ever was a problem, he always found a way to solve it with the greatest patience and a smile on his face.

She'd also realized, that one of the reasons to why she loved to watch him work like this, was because he was simply being himself. He didn't have to put up an act. It was easy to see how much he loved this. How much it gave him. He was definitely in his right element.

The sound of a door closing had her open her eyes and turn her head. A bright smile spread across her face when she saw Nathan step out of the cockpit and walk towards her.

_God, that uniform_.

That was also one of the reasons to why she loved to watch him. He looked so incredibly sexy in that white, long-sleeved shirt, the black tie, and those tailor fitted black pants.

She felt the back of her neck prick with tingles, and when he hunched down next to her seat, the whiff of his cologne made her hazy and lightheaded.

"Hi, baby. Are you okay back here?" Nathan asked and smiled at her.

Haley suddenly shot up in her seat and grabbed his arm, that was resting at the armrest of her chair, and widened her eyes at him.

"Nathan! You can't be back here. Who's driving the plane? Oh, my god! You need to get back in there." Haley rambled, completely hysterical by the thought of no one in charge of the plane.

Nathan started to chuckle and looked at her frightened expression. Haley was smart, no she was brilliant. But there was certain things she obviously didn't have a clue about, and this was clearly one of them.

He placed his free hand on top of hers and looked smilingly into her eyes.

"Well, now that we're finally at our marching height, we have this amazing thing called autopilot. And besides, I think Jake is more than qualified to handle this thing alone, while I check on you - which was obviously very much needed." He chuckled and watched as she relaxed herself a little, but she was still sitting at the edge of her seat.

"And by the way, we're not really 'driving' the plane, Hales." He smiled as she looked questionably at him and shrugged.

"Fine, whatever it's called, I still don't trust that this thing can keep itself up on its own." She huffed.

"Actually, it's probably even safer with the autopilot, than when we're flying manually. And one of us is always behind, in case we would have to switch it off and take control ourselves." Haley widened her eyes again and opened her mouth to speak, but Nathan stopped her before she could say anything.

"But don't worry. That has never happened to me before. This area is pretty safe and quiet, weather-wise. And it's going to stay that way until we're home again." Haley looked intently at Nathan. She absorbed every word he was saying, and tried to let the sound of his soothing voice, calm her down.

Nathan lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You're in good hands, baby. Trust me." He smiled and lowered her hand again.

Haley exhaled and leaned back into her seat. She knew she could trust what Nathan told her. He would never lie to her about this, or anything else for that matter. So she decided to try and let this go, and focus on other things. Good things. She knew, that once they were back home, they would have to face reality again, which meant facing Damian in one way or the other.

Haley was thankful for these last two weeks, and she was thankful for Nathan that had made her forget about him, and simply live in the moment. There was no point in torturing herself by dwelling over something that they couldn't do anything about anyway. At least not while they were thousands of miles away.

Haley shifted in her seat, so she was facing Nathan, and leaned her elbows at the armrest.

"Thank you." She smiled and lifted one of her hands and started to play with his tie.

Nathan turned his head and saw that Mr. Walker was typing furiously on his laptop, as usual. He turned back to Haley and noticed that she had finally relaxed herself a little after his reassuring speech.

"You know, you don't have to sit out here all by yourself. You can come into the cockpit and hang out with me and Jake if you want. I'll even let you sit in the captain's seat."

Haley chuckled at his boyish grin. It was obvious that he wanted to show her how this thing was working, and show her that she didn't have to worry. He was always thinking of her and it warmed her heart, but there was no way in hell that she would go anywhere near those controls and all those buttons. However, she kept that to herself for now, in case she would end up hurting his feelings.

"Actually, I think I'm just gonna try and get some sleep. I'm kind of tired, thanks to a certain _someone_, that kept me up all night." She teased, as she felt a yawn threatening to escape her.

"Oh really? I think I recall a certain _someone_ that couldn't keep her hands off of me. And besides, I didn't hear you complaining when you were repeatedly screaming my name." Nathan smirked.

"Sshh, Nathan!" Haley gasped and pointed her head towards Mr. Walker.

Nathan started to laugh when he saw how flushed Haley got. She got so easily embarrassed when they were around people. It was like she was two different people. Because once those doors were closed, and they were all alone, she let all of her inhibitions go and practically assaulted him. But now, she was like a shy, little, innocent girl, that never did anything out of sorts. It was really adorable.

"He can't hear us, don't worry. He would've last night though." Nathan mocked and earned himself a shove in the shoulder for that remark.

"Oh, come on, Hales. People know we're together, so they probably also gather that we're physical with each other. That's normal, you know." He kept going and loved how she got all riled up over nothing.

"Yes, I know that. But that doesn't mean that I want them to know every little detail about what we're doing, and when we're doing it." She huffed out.

"You mean, when we're having sex?" Nathan asked and raised his voice a little to get another reaction out of her.

"Nathan, lower your voice!" She said trying to sound serious, but she couldn't help but smile at him. She knew he was only doing this to make her embarrassed, and it definitely worked.

Nathan continued to chuckle at Haley, which reciprocated by shaking her head and narrow her eyes at him. Eventually, his laughter died down, and it was replaced by smile.

"Okay, I'm gonna leave you to it. Get some sleep, and I'll head back to Jake. I can wake you up later, when we're going to eat, if you want?"

"Yeah, that sounds good, thank you." Haley spoke softly.

Nathan made a move to get up, but was stopped halfway, when Haley tugged at his tie and held him back.

"Kiss first." Haley whispered as she kept trying to pull him back down, but Nathan kept resisting her.

"I thought you didn't want others to know what we were doing?" He raised his eyebrow at her and smirked.

"Ugh, just get your pretty face down here, you goof." Haley said, and smiled with satisfaction when she felt Nathan give in and gently touch her lips with his own.

He gave her a couple of small kisses, and placed a soft kiss at her forehead on his way back up.

"Sleep well, I'll see you in a bit." He smiled and walked away.

* * *

><p>"No way, you're wrong! I wasn't that bad." Haley tried to defend herself, as Nathan and Jake were laughing at her.<p>

They were sitting in the cockpit, eating and chatting away. Haley had made sure that she was seated in the extra seat that was behind the controller seats. She had explained to them her fear of touching the wrong things or simply bump into something, that would most probably create a catastrophe, in which they had accepted and so they stopped nagging her about it.

"Haley, you got lost on your way back from the toilet. I'm pretty sure you have some sort of directional sense, when you're sober that is." Nathan teased.

They were reminiscing about the day the went wine tasting. It had been a great day. The place was absolutely beautiful, and the wine was exquisite. The only downside was that Haley had gotten a little too much to drink, so she was more than a little buzzed by the end of the day, in which caused her to get disoriented when she wandered away to find the toilet on her own.

"I wasn't…I -I…ugh, maybe I was a little, but that cellar was like a freaking maze." She finally conceded in annoyance. "Besides, it was your fault that you let me drink that much, you should've known better." She gave Nathan a pointed look and tried to suppress her smile.

They were right though, she did end up having too much wine, but could they really blame her? They were drinking just as much as she did, if not more. And the only reason they didn't get drunk, was because they were two enormous guys, with a much higher tolerance than her.

"You have to admit though, if you think about the situation when we found you wandering around on the other side of the building all by yourself, that it was pretty funny." Jake shot in and grinned at her.

Haley chuckled and softly shook her head. "I'm glad I was able to amuse you guys, but I was actually pretty freaked out right before you found me. I was starting to worry that you wouldn't notice that I was gone, and just leave me there." She admitted quietly.

Nathan and Jake started to laugh again, causing Haley to blush and look away in embarrassment.

"Of course we noticed that you were gone. You were our source of entertainment, Hales. So there was no way we would've left you behind." Nathan joked.

"Gee, thanks. So basically I have to get drunk so that you get your entertainment and won't forget about me. I'll try to keep that in mind." She exhaled dryly and placed her fork down as her smile faded, suddenly feeling her stomach starting to act up.

The guys stopped laughing and shared a look, by Haley's sudden mood change.

"Umm, Hales? Are you okay? You look a little pale." Nathan expressed his worry as the color of her face drastically disappeared in a matter of seconds.

He got up from his seat and hunched down in front of her.

"Here, let me take this." He said and took the plate out of her hands and placed it down on the floor next to him.

Haley palmed her forehead and swallowed hard as she felt a wave of nausea ascend from her stomach. She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to will the uneasy feeling away. Was it something she ate? Or did she start to get air sick again, like she used to when she was younger? She hated the feeling more than anything.

Nathan palmed her cheek and felt her skin was already burning and clammy. Her breathing turned heavy as she continued to swallow repeatedly.

"Hales, do you need to use the toilet or do you want to lay down?" Nathan asked softly and carefully stroked her cheek.

Haley grunted and moved Nathan's hand away from her face. She felt the salivary production in her mouth blow out of proportions, and being touched right now only made it worse. She forced open her eyes and looked straight into Nathan's worried blues.

"Jake, quick, hand me a paper bag." Nathan said as he saw the unmistakeable look in Haley's eyes.

Jake quickly handed Nathan a bag, as he also noticed how close Haley was to get sick.

"Here you go, baby." Nathan said as he held up the paper bag in front of her. It was only the next second, and Haley was emptying her stomach contents into the bag.

Nathan got up and hunched his body over hers, while he softly stroked her back, as she continued to retch and empty everything she had eaten that day, into the bag.

"Hey, Jake, could you go out and check if Mr. Walker is okay? Just in case it's the food." Nathan turned his head and looked over at Jake.

"Yeah, sure." Jake nodded and walked away.

Nathan waited patiently until it looked like Haley was done. He leaned over and grabbed a napkin and held it out to her, as she leaned her head back into the headrest of the chair.

Her eyes were closed and her face was drained for every color, as tears were running slowly down her cheeks.

She accepted the napkin with her shaking hand, when she slowly opened her eyes again. It felt good to get it out, it relieved some of the pressure that had appeared so suddenly. But she still felt like crap. The uneasiness was still running through her body, and all she really wanted was to lay down and close her eyes.

She wiped her mouth and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Can you walk?" She heard Nathan ask her.

Her head was pounding hard. She softly nodded her head and directed her eyes at him. She felt Nathan support her under her arm, and helped her up on her feet. His arm went around her lower back when she almost fell over by the dizziness that swept through her, when she got up in a standing position.

"I've got you." Nathan spoke carefully, and held her close to his body.

He slowly led her out of the cockpit and went all the way to the back of the cabin, where he had a small cot. He pulled aside the covers and helped her lay down, before he put the covers on top of her, adding an extra blanket so that she wouldn't get cold.

"Thank you." She barley whispered as she felt Nathan tuck her in.

"Try to get some rest." He said and grazed his knuckles over her cheek. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss at her temple. "I'll go get you some water. I'll be right back." He added before he turned around.

When he got back he sat down next to her and stroked his hand through her hair.

"Here, try to drink this. I brought you a couple of painkillers too, I think you have a fever." He looked at her with concerned eyes.

She really didn't look good. Her face was pale, her body was shaking, and her skin was burning. He had seen a couple of food poisoning cases before, and this definitely looked like one. He only hoped she wouldn't get any worse, before they touched the ground, in case they had to get her to a hospital.

Haley forced open her eyes, and tried to sit up to take a sip of the water. She didn't want to, but she knew very well that she had to replace some of the fluid loss, so she wouldn't get too dehydrated.

She managed to drink half of the bottle, and swallow the two pills, before she fell back down onto the mattress. Her body completely drained of energy. She looked up at Nathan and gave him a weak smile as she saw the worry in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, baby." He whispered and took a hold of her hand. "How do you feel? Is there anything else I can do?" He asked and stroked the knuckles of her hand.

Haley let out a small groan, and quietly shook her head. "Can you just sit here with me for a while?" Her voice was weak and trembling.

He smiled and raised her hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on top of it. "Just close your eyes and try to sleep. I'll be here." He said and wrapped the blanket tighter around her body.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're feeling fine, Mr. Walker?" Nathan tried to reassure as they descended the stairs of the jet. Finally on the ground in New York.<p>

"Absolutely, Mr. Scott. There was nothing wrong with my food. I'm sorry about the misses though, I hope she'll get better soon." He affirmed and extended his hand as they touched the concrete ground.

"Thank you. I'm sure she'll pull out of it soon." Nathan said and shook his hand firmly.

"Again, thank you for your wonderful services. I'll stay in touch." Mr. Walker said, before he turned and walked over to the car that was waiting for him.

"You're welcome. Have a good day." Nathan responded and watched as he got into the car.

Nathan sigh heavily, and ran his hand through his hair, before he turned and walked back into the jet.

"How's she doing?" Jake asked as he walked out of the cockpit.

"I don't know. She's been sleeping these last few hours." Nathan sighed again. "I'm gonna go and check on her now, see if we can continue to Charlotte or if we have to get her to a hospital here. I'm sorry about this, Jake. I know you must be dying to get home right now."

"Hey, don't even worry about that. Haley's health comes first. In worst case, I can catch a ride with Vince later tonight. I'll be fine." Jake said and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks man." Nathan gave him a nod and walked slowly towards the back where Haley was.

He stopped for a minute and watched her sleeping form as he got to the back. She looked restless even though she was sleeping. At least she had regained some color in her face, but her body was still shaking and tossing around.

He walked over and sat down at the edge of the small bed, running his knuckles over her forehead. Her skin was still clam and burning hot.

"Hales…" He spoke low and brushed a few wet strands of her hair away from her face.

She started to stir a little as he kept stroking her face with his hand, but still kept her eyes closed. He picked up the cloth that had fallen off her forehead, and dipped it in the bowl of water he'd placed next to her earlier. He carefully ran the cloth around her face and across her forehead, and saw that her eyes slowly started to flutter open.

"Hey, baby. How are you feeling?" He smiled at her as he met her tired, glistening eyes.

Haley groaned and placed her hand on top of his, that still held the cloth at her forehead.

"Are we home yet?" She asked weakly and felt her body ache everywhere.

"No, we're in New York. And I need to know if you're feeling any better, if not, we have to get you to a hospital here."

"Can I get some water?" She asked as she felt her tongue getting stuck at the top of her mouth.

Nathan twisted around and grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.

She elevated her head and took a few small sips, and indulged in the feeling of the cool liquid run down her throat.

Her head fell back tiredly onto the pillow as Nathan took the bottle out of her hand. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this weak. It was like her mind and body didn't belong to her right now. She felt the foreign sensations of pain rip through every fiber of her body, making it almost unbearable to make the slightest move.

"I feel like absolute shit." She moaned and forced her gaze at Nathan. "But I want to go home. I think I just need to sleep this off in my own bed." Her voice was low and weak.

"Are you sure? Cause you're really burning up, Hales. And you've lost a lot of water. I'm just worried you'll get into a shock if you don't drink enough now." The tone of his voice was calm, but inside he was scared like hell. He didn't really know what to do, but at least he needed to be sure that she would be fine for a couple of more hours until they got back to Charlotte.

Haley closed her eyes for a second as she listened to Nathan. She knew how worried he was, and how scared he probably was, but she was almost positive that this would resolve on its own, as long as her body got enough rest.

She opened her eyes again and forced a faint smile at him. "I'm sure this'll pass. I just need to sleep it off. And I have you to take care of me, so I'll be fine. I promise."

"I'm just scared, Hales. I hate seeing you like this, and I have seriously no idea what to do." He felt tears starting to prick behind his eyes, but quickly blinked them away. He had never seen her this sick before. Actually, he'd never seen her sick at all, so he was scared out of his mind, when he realized how bad it actually was. But he figured that she would tell him, if it got worse. Besides, she was the one with a medical degree around here, so she obviously knew best. Still, he wouldn't be able to get peace of his mind until he saw that she was actually showing physical signs of getting better. But for now, he would take her word, and get them back to Charlotte as quick as possible.

Haley raised her hand and palmed his cheek, smiling softly at him.

"You've done everything you could've possibly done in this situation, Nathan. I'm lucky that you are here with me. Besides, I think I got most of it out, seeing as I probably have no stomach contents left, which is good." She tried to joke, and managed to get a smile out of him. "The only thing I can do now, is let my body work on its own to eliminate the remains from my system, and I'll be as good as new."

Nathan let out a soft sigh and reached for the water. "At least finish this bottle before I take us home." He said and gave her a stern look.

"Ay, ay, captain." Haley said with a smile, but winced a little as she sat up and grabbed the bottle out of his hand.

All it took for her to feel the slightest improvement, was the presence of him. She still felt like crap, but she knew her body well enough to know that it was slowly working to drag her out of this lousy condition.

She finished the water as fast as she could with the current state she was in, before she laid back down and looked at Nathan.

"Please, just take me home." She said and pulled the blanket close to her head, feeling the exhaustion claim her body again.

"Go back to sleep, angel. I'll come check on you once we're in the air again."

Haley breathed in deeply as Nathan traced his fingers over her cheek once, before he got up and walked out to get Jake, so they could start taxing out and finally be on their way home.

* * *

><p>"Dude, are you okay?" Nathan asked as he looked up from the paperwork that was spread out in front of him at the desk, eying Jake at the opposite side of the table. Jake had been yawning constantly since he came in earlier this morning, as he continuously let out small groans whenever he moved in his seat.<p>

"Do you really want to know?" He said and stretched his arms above his head, cracking his neck at the same time.

Nathan raised his eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. "I don't know, do I?"

"Let's just say that Peyton is pretty much completely recovered from her accident, or at least her leg doesn't weigh her down anymore." Jake smirked and chuckled.

"Ohh, God!" Nathan groaned. "You're right, I did not want to know." He joked and let out a chuckle.

"I'm telling you, she practically jumped me the second I crossed the doorstep. Not that I'm complaining, but she didn't give me much time to recover from that long travel. Actually, she didn't give me any time at all as she…"

"Okay, let me stop you right there." Nathan held up his hand. "I'm happy for you, but I beg you, leave out the details. We're not a couple of chicks, so it's enough to say that you had sex all night - I get it." Nathan laughed as he saw the huge grin plastered on Jake's face. "But I'm glad Peyton has gotten her funk back though." He added and smiled.

"Thanks. Yeah, she's been having a rough couple of months with this recovery and me being away most of the time, so I was glad to see her back to her good, old self. And I kind of got the feeling about her withdrawals after our daily phone conversations while we were in France, so I guess I wasn't really surprised by the physical assault."

"Dude…" Nathan shook his head and chuckled.

Jake grinned as he got up and walked over to the mini fridge. He pulled out two bottles of water and brought them back to the desk.

"By the way, how's Haley doing?" He asked as he sat back down in the chair and handed Nathan one of the bottles.

"Thanks." Nathan said and downed half the bottle. He realized he was actually a lot thirstier than he thought he was, as he now felt the cold, refreshing liquid run down his throat.

"Actually, she's much better. It turns out that she knows her shit when it comes to medicine, and she was right. She just needed to hydrate and get enough rest. Like she told me, as long as she was able to hold down on the fluids on her own, it wasn't really necessary to go to the hospital, thank god."

"That's good news. I was really worried about her for a while there, but I'm glad it passed rather quickly."

"Yeah, she's still holding the bed today, but I'm sure she'll be up on her feet again by tomorrow. She hates laying around doing nothing anyway, so I don't think I'll be able to keep her there for much longer." Nathan chuckled.

"Ha-ha, yeah, I guess it's like that with doctors, huh? They're always the worst patients, cause they refuse to acknowledge that they too get sick sometimes." Jake laughed.

"Tell me about it." Nathan joined in on the laugh, as his phone started to ring.

He leaned over his desk and saw his brothers name flash over the screen.

"It's Luke." He said and picked up his phone.

"Okay, tell him I said hi. I'll head out in the hangar for a couple of hours, I need to move and stretch a little, if you know what I mean." Jake winked and got up from his chair.

"Just get your ass out of here now, and make yourself useful. I told you, I don't want to hear that shit." Nathan laughed and answered his phone.

"Hey, little brother. Welcome home." Lucas spoke as he heard Nathan's voice.

"Hey, Luke. Thanks. Jake says hi. How are things by the way? Haven't talked to you in a while."

"And who's fault is that, Mr. World traveller." Lucas chuckled. "Nah, it's good over here, basically doing the last preparations for the upcoming trip, which I assume you have probably forgotten all about?"

"Oh, yeah that's right. You're leaving this Thursday, right?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, early Thursday morning, actually. I hope you have a clear schedule for this weekend though?"

"Umm, as of right now, yeah I do. Why?" Nathan scratched his head, trying to remember if there was anything in particular Lucas had told him before he went to France.

"Come on, man! You seriously don't remember that you promised me that you could take care of the kids while we're away?" Lucas shook his head even though Nathan couldn't see him. This was so typical Nathan. He was always such an airhead.

"Oh fuck." Nathan muttered under his breath. "Look, I'm sorry, okay. There's been so much going on these last few weeks, that it completely slipped my mind."

Lucas chuckled lightly. "Hey, no worries. I totally get it. As long as you don't back out on me. I kind of already mentioned that they're going to spend the weekend with Uncle Nathan and Aunt Haley, and that's pretty much all they can talk about now. And you wouldn't be the one to bring them the bad news, now would you?" Lucas said as he pulled out his safety card.

Nathan let out a quiet sigh and couldn't help but laugh at the slightest desperation in his brothers voice.

"Don't worry, I won't back out. I miss those little monsters, and we'll be happy to have them over the weekend. Now, I just have to remember to tell Haley before they're actually standing at our doorstep." Nathan snickered.

"Why am I not surprised that you haven't told her about that yet?" Lucas laughed out loud.

"Like I said, we've had a lot on our minds lately, so you can't blame me for temporarily forgetting about that. But it's not going to be a problem, I know Haley loves them, and she'll be happy to see them."

"Yeah, I hope you're right." Lucas paused for a moment. "By the way, how is she doing? Or how are you doing? You sound better at least, so I'll take that as you made things up while you were away?" Lucas asked, still a little worried about his brother, when the last heartbreaking image of him appeared in the back of his mind.

Nathan breathed out and raked his hand through his hair. "Yes, we both finally got to talking, and she let me in on all of her worries. I can still see it in her sometimes. It's still there, scraping right under the surface, but I know she's trying now, and she wants to be able to talk about everything and deal with it as it comes. So I think it's going to be fine, once we manage to get this guy out of our lives." Nathan sighed. "I just don't know how yet."

"I can't even imagine how this must weigh on you guys. But I'm glad you finally opened up to each other. Keeping everything cooped up like that doesn't make it better. I think you'll find a way to work this out as long as you're there for each other. And you know we're behind you every step of the way. Just let me know if there's anything we can do." Lucas spoke calmly.

"Thanks, Luke. We just need to figure out what to do next, before he tries something again. I can't stand what he does to Haley, you know. Those fucking mind games of his." Nathan felt his temper rise within him by the mere thought of this guy.

"I know, but try to keep your cool, okay? I don't want you to do anything stupid. There has to be a way to solve this without having to step outside the law, even though I know how much you want to kill this guy, cause believe me, I do to." Lucas tried to reason.

"Yeah…" Nathan sighed again.

"Listen, I have to go to a meeting now. But I can come over tomorrow and talk more, maybe we can work something out, okay? I can talk to one of my colleagues about a restraining order, and then we'll take it from there. In the meantime, just take care of each other." Lucas said and started to pile up the files he needed for the meeting he had with one of his clients.

"Okay, thanks, Luke."

"Sure, no problem. Tell Haley I said hi, and I'll see you guys tomorrow." Lucas ended the call and placed the files in his briefcase, before he left his office.

* * *

><p>Nathan peeked through the door of the guest room downstairs, where he'd left Haley this morning when he went to his office. Last night when they'd arrived home, Nathan had to carry Haley into the house, and had been too tired and exhausted to even think about carry her upstairs, so he'd opted for the bed in the vacant room. They'd both passed out within minutes, fully dressed and their bags scattered around in the hallway.<p>

Their bags was still in the same spot as he left them last night, since he'd been too tired this morning to do anything about it before he left for work. And Haley had clearly been too exhausted to do anything about it, those few hours he was away. He guessed that she had been sleeping the entire time anyway, and he would've been surprised if she actually had been doing anything else besides getting drinks from the kitchen. He decided he wanted to check on Haley before he started to unpack and throw the dirty laundry in the washing machine.

As he walked into the room a soft smile formed at the corner of his lips, when he saw Haley curled up on the side of the bed, where he'd been sleeping last night. He moved his eyes to the floor at side of the bed, and saw that she had gotten rid of her clothes, and changed herself into one of his t-shirts that he had used when they were in France.

He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. He kept his eyes on her face. She looked much better today, as she'd gotten her color back, and her body seemed to be in a peaceful state as her breath was deep and even.

He moved his fingers to her beautiful face and brushed aside a few strains of her hair. He felt the responding tingles of the physical contact of her soft skin, fire through his arm.

"Haley." He felt bad for having to wake her up, but he wanted to see how she was doing, and maybe get her to eat something as well.

She started to stir and let out a few incoherent sounds as he kept stroking her cheek.

"Hey, wake up sleeping beauty." He raised the tone of his voice a little, in order to get her out of her deep sleep.

Haley could hear a distant voice calling out her name as she felt soft touches on her face. She rolled onto her back and fluttered her eyes open. She spent a minute adjusting her eyes and slowly got her senses invaded by the presence of Nathan and his wonderful scent.

"Hey, you. Did you sleep okay?" Nathan asked softly as Haley eventually met his gaze through her still sleep heavy eyes.

She yawned deeply and stretched her body.

"Mmhm, I slept like a baby. Finally." She said and untangled her hands from the covers. "I don't remember you leaving this morning, but I woke up sometime after you'd left and changed out of my clothes, and actually went straight to bed again."

"I can see that." Nathan moved his eyes over to the pile of clothes on the floor and started to play with the hem of the neckline of the t-shirt she was wearing. "This looks familiar." He turned his head back and smirked at her.

Haley let out a tiny giggle followed by a small pout. "Yeah, well it wasn't very comfortable sleeping in my clothes, and this was the first thing I could find, that wouldn't choke me to death. Besides, you know I sleep so much better when I have you around me…" She paused and looked down on Nathan's hand that rested on her chest. "In whatever way I can get you…" She looked back into his eyes and smiled shyly.

"I guess I can live with that, especially since you can live with sleeping in my dirty laundry." He teased.

"It's not dirty." She pouted. "It's - you. I love the smell of you." She added and lifted the t-shirt in front of her nose. She breathed in the smell and let her eyes close shut. When she opened her eyes again and lowered the fabric, she met Nathan's smiling, blue eyes and felt her stomach do a tiny flip-flop. God, his eyes were to die for. She could easily drown herself every time she met his eyes, and especially now, when she could see how much they shone with love and happiness.

"So I take it you feel better then?" He smiled softly at her. "Maybe you're even ready to try and eat something?"

"I feel much better. Although I don't know how I would work on my feet right now, seeing as I haven't really eaten anything for the past 24 hours. And the food I actually did manage to swallow, came straight back up. But I'm willing to give it a try, if you're offering." She stroked the exposed skin of his forearm with her hand.

"How about we start with something light? I can make you chicken noodle soup and bring it in here for you."

"Mmm, that sounds perfect. But remember…"

"With extra noodles. Yes, I know you, Haley James." Nathan cut her off and smirked at her, when he knew what she was going to say.

He got up from the bed and started to walk out of the room.

"Thank you. I love you." He heard Haley call after him.

"Now, stay put, you dork. I'll be right back." He yelled back over his shoulder and chuckled softly to himself.

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><p>Haley had just dried herself after she'd gotten out of the shower and was changing into her sleeping shorts and a tank top. She walked over to the sink and started to massage the night cream onto her face, as she noticed in the mirror, that Nathan walked into the bathroom, wearing nothing but his boxers. He smiled at her when he met her eyes in the reflection and came up and took the place next to her by the sink. He kissed the top of her head before he started to brush his teeth. They continued their nightly routines in a comfortable, easy silence. Both of them were still tired due to a little bit of jet-lag, and of course Haley was still recovering after her tiny incident of food poisoning, that had luckily disappeared just as quick as it came.<p>

She was grateful for having Nathan home the entire evening. They hadn't really done much, since she still felt a little weak, but they had eventually moved out of the guest bedroom and into the living room. Haley had snuggled up against Nathan on the couch, as they had small talked loosely about all and nothing, while they made an attempt of watching a movie that was on. Nathan, as the sweet and caring guy that he is, had also made sure she got enough to drink, and forced her to eat a second time around, before they'd decided that they might as well move the cuddling into the bedroom, since neither of them was really watching the movie anyway.

"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you - again." Nathan looked sheepishly at Haley through the mirror as he placed his toothbrush down.

"What now?" Haley rolled her eyes dramatically, but kept a smile on her face.

"I kind of promised Luke, before we went to France, that we could babysit Daniel and Sarah while they are in Vegas. But then I kind of forgot about it after, well, you know…" He trailed off and searched for Haley's eyes in the mirror.

He could see her eyes flicker, before she shook it off and raised her gaze and met his eyes through the reflection. She held it for a couple of seconds, before she darted her eyes away and picked up her toothbrush. "It's okay, I kind of get that it wouldn't be the first thing you would remember to mention…" She paused and bit her lip while she applied toothpaste on her toothbrush. "But it sounds like fun, I love those kids." She added and looked briefly up at Nathan with a smile, before she started to brush.

"So you don't mind?" Nathan asked wanted to make sure it was okay with her to have them for an entire weekend, with everything that was going on.

Haley nodded and made an effort to smile at him while she was still having the toothbrush in her mouth. That of course didn't turn out as she planned, as she now had toothpaste and water running down from the corner of her mouth and dripping down at her chest as the soggy, white substance left her chin.

Nathan watched the whole thing in the mirror, and saw the irritated expression on Haley's face when the toothpaste made a stain on her clean tank top. He grabbed a small towel cloth next to him and held it out to her, as he chuckled lightly.

He watched Haley in amusement as she rinsed her mouth with water and wiped her face, and feverishly tried to rub the stain away - of course, without any luck.

She made a small pout as she looked at herself in the mirror and softly shook her head at her own expense.

"So, you really don't mind then?" Nathan asked again, breaking her out of her temporary state of annoyance.

"No, of course I don't mind." She smiled and turned herself so she faced him. "When was it again? Next weekend?"

"Actually, it's this weekend." Nathan raised his shoulders and sunk his head down, while he held in his breath.

Haley looked at him and playfully narrowed her eyes while shaking her head.

"You really are something, aren't you." She smiled and placed her hand on his bare chest.

Nathan relaxed his shoulders and let out his breath, as he heard her soft giggles. He quickly regained his confidence when he realized he was out of trouble, and smirked looking down at her hand that landed on his chest.

"I'm guessing I really don't have a choice anyway." She joked halfway and looked up into his smirking features. "But, no. It'll be fun. You're just lucky my shifts doesn't start up again until next week." She added with a smile, before she leaned in and placed a soft kiss at the side of his chest.

She let her hand gently swipe down across his chest and over his abdomen, as she stepped away and headed for the bedroom.

"I'll be in in a minute." Nathan called after her, while pouring mouthwash into the tiny cap of the bottle, as he watched her retreating form in the mirror.

He was almost done and about to spit out the mouthwash, when he heard Haley scream out his name, in a terrified, trembling voice. He froze for a second and almost choked on the mouthwash, but quickly recovered from the initial shock of hearing Haley's frightened voice. He discharged the contents in a hurry and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, as he sprinted out of the bathroom.

"What's wrong, Hales?" He asked and came to a sudden halt when he saw Haley standing completely paralyzed next to the bed, a few steps away. Her hand was clutched over her chest, and her eyes were wide open, filled with fright. Her eyes were glued to the mattress on her side of the bed, as she had pulled back the covers.

Nathan had no idea what was going on, and rubbed his hand at the back of his neck, as he started to walk over to her. He could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest by the sight of her petrified, shocked expression. He could see that she was on the brink of crying, as her lower lip was tucked between her teeth and her body was heavily shaking.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; Please don't hate me. But I had to stop here, or not really, but I figured why not? I'll try to get the next one out before my life is getting crazy again, which is pretty soon I'm afraid. I'll probably update the rotating fic, I have going on with Kat0507, before this one though.

Thank you for reading. Thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer**; I really don't own anything, except my own ideas.

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><p><strong>*To refresh your memory*<strong>

_Haley had just dried herself after she'd gotten out of the shower and was changing into her sleeping shorts and a tank top. She walked over to the sink and started to massage the night cream onto her face, as she noticed in the mirror, that Nathan walked into the bathroom, wearing nothing but his boxers. He smiled at her when he met her eyes in the reflection and came up and took the place next to her by the sink. He kissed the top of her head before he started to brush his teeth. They continued their nightly routines in a comfortable, easy silence. Both of them were still tired due to a little bit of jet-lag, and of course Haley was still recovering after her tiny incident of food poisoning, that had luckily disappeared just as quick as it came._

_She was grateful for having Nathan home the entire evening. They hadn't really done much, since she still felt a little weak, but they had eventually moved out of the guest bedroom and into the living room. Haley had snuggled up against Nathan on the couch, as they had small talked loosely about all and nothing, while they made an attempt of watching a movie that was on. Nathan, as the sweet and caring guy that he is, had also made sure she got enough to drink, and forced her to eat a second time around, before they'd decided that they might as well move the cuddling into the bedroom, since neither of them was really watching the movie anyway._

_"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you - again." Nathan looked sheepishly at Haley through the mirror as he placed his toothbrush down._

_"What now?" Haley rolled her eyes dramatically, but kept a smile on her face._

_"I kind of promised Luke, before we went to France, that we could babysit Daniel and Sarah while they are in Vegas. But then I kind of forgot about it after, well, you know…" He trailed off and searched for Haley's eyes in the mirror._

_He could see her eyes flicker, before she shook it off and raised her gaze and met his eyes through the reflection. She held it for a couple of seconds, before she darted her eyes away and picked up her toothbrush. "It's okay, I kind of get that it wouldn't be the first thing you would remember to mention…" She paused and bit her lip while she applied toothpaste on her toothbrush. "But it sounds like fun, I love those kids." She added and looked briefly up at Nathan with a smile, before she started to brush._

_"So you don't mind?" Nathan asked wanted to make sure it was okay with her to have them for an entire weekend, with everything that was going on._

_Haley shook her head and made an effort to smile at him while she was still having the toothbrush in her mouth. That of course didn't turn out as she planned, as she now had toothpaste and water running down from the corner of her mouth and dripping down at her chest as the soggy, white substance left her chin._

_Nathan watched the whole thing in the mirror, and saw the irritated expression on Haley's face when the toothpaste made a stain on her clean tank top. He grabbed a small towel cloth next to him and held it out to her, as he chuckled lightly._

_He watched Haley in amusement as she rinsed her mouth with water and wiped her face, and feverishly tried to rub the stain away - of course, without any luck._

_She made a small pout as she looked at herself in the mirror and softly shook her head at her own expense._

_"So, you really don't mind then?" Nathan asked again, breaking her out of her temporary state of annoyance._

_"No, of course I don't mind." She smiled and turned herself so she faced him. "When was it again? Next weekend?"_

_"Actually, it's this weekend." Nathan raised his shoulders and sunk his head down, while he held in his breath._

_Haley looked at him and playfully narrowed her eyes while shaking her head._

_"You really are something, aren't you." She smiled and placed her hand on his bare chest._

_Nathan relaxed his shoulders and let out his breath, as he heard her soft giggles. He quickly regained his confidence when he realized he was out of trouble, and smirked looking down at her hand that landed on his chest._

_"I'm guessing I really don't have a choice anyway." She joked halfway and looked up into his smirking features. "But, no. It'll be fun. You're just lucky my shifts doesn't start up again until next week." She added with a smile, before she leaned in and placed a soft kiss at the side of his chest._

_She let her hand gently swipe down across his chest and over his abdomen, as she stepped away and headed for the bedroom._

_"I'll be in in a minute." Nathan called after her, while pouring mouthwash into the tiny cap of the bottle, as he watched her retreating form in the mirror._

_He was almost done and about to spit out the mouthwash, when he heard Haley scream out his name, in a terrified, trembling voice. He froze for a second and almost choked on the mouthwash, but quickly recovered from the initial shock of hearing Haley's frightened voice. He discharged the contents in a hurry and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, as he sprinted out of the bathroom._

_"What's wrong, Hales?" He asked and came to a sudden halt when he saw Haley standing completely paralyzed next to the bed, a few steps away. Her hand was clutched over her chest, and her eyes were wide open, filled with fright. Her eyes were glued to the mattress on her side of the bed, as she had pulled back the covers._

_Nathan had no idea what was going on, and rubbed his hand at the back of his neck, as he started to walk over to her. He could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest by the sight of her petrified, shocked expression. He could see that she was on the brink of crying, as her lower lip was tucked between her teeth and her body was heavily shaking._

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Three<strong>

"Hales…" He spoke hesitantly as he came up next to her, and carefully placed his hand on her shoulder.

Haley hadn't heard Nathan come up to her and jumped when she felt his hand on her shoulder. The tears that had already formed in her eyes, were now rolling slowly down her cheeks. She felt the sobs slowly crawling into the back of her throat, and swallowed hard in order to keep them in check. When she opened her mouth to speak, the words died and instead she broke out into a loud, forceful sob, turning her face into Nathan's chest, as she surrendered to the frightening feeling that had pushed out the careless and happy feeling she had from the trip in a matter of seconds.

Nathan was still confused as to what had happened, but embraced her shaking body and held her close to him while he stroked the back of her head. He moved his eyes over to the bed, and noticed something laying on the mattress, next to her pillow. He tried to figure out what it was, but couldn't really tell from this distance. This was obviously the reason as to why Haley got so upset, and his curiosity grew along with the internal worry for the girl crying in his arms.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and soothed comforting words to her, as he rubbed his hand up and down the back of her shaking frame. He waited patiently until her sobs finally started to subside, before he quietly spoke up.

"Haley, baby, what's wrong?" His voice was slightly trembling, as the fear of her closing up on him again, suddenly rushed through him.

Haley breathed in deeply and felt her heart slam hard against her chest. "He was here." She barley whispered against his chest as a cold shiver fired down her spine.

"What?" Nathan asked and took a hold around her upper arms and held her out in front of him so he could look at her. When Haley looked up and met his gaze, he asked her again. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, baby. What's wrong?"

Haley moved her gaze down at the floor and swallowed hard before she took another deep, shaking breath. Her head was spinning and she started to feel nauseas, knowing that he had been in their house. In their room, sitting or doing whatever in their bed.

"He was here." She whispered again and moved her gaze slowly back up at Nathan. "He was here. He was here." She raised her voice at the end and met his eyes, but could barley see him as her own eyes were thick with tears.

Nathan recognized the terrified and slightly defeated tone of her voice and grew even more worried. He bent his knees so he was level with her and held her firmly in front of him at an arms length. "What do you mean, he was here?" He focused his eyes on her and noticed her chest started to heave as her breath increased in frequency. She was having a panic attack.

"He was here. In our room!" Haley suddenly yelled and turned around and picked up the item lying on the bed. She turned back around and held it up in front of Nathan. "He was right here, in our house, Nathan." He heard the tiny crack in her voice at the end, as she pulled her quivering lip between her teeth and lowered her gaze.

Nathan jumped a little by her sudden outburst. When she turned back around and held her hand out to him, he saw what it was.

Still, he was a little confused as to what exactly she was talking about. Wouldn't he have noticed if someone had been in their house? And if that was the case, then why didn't the alarm go off? Or if someone had tampered with the alarm system or the power, then the security company would've picked it up in their system somehow and notified him about it. At least they should have. His thoughts started to run a mile a minute as he didn't quite understand what was going on. He ran his hand through his hair in bewilderment. "Are you sure? I mean, are you sure that the necklace didn't just fall off in your sleep?" He had to ask, as he thought he might've seen that necklace before, so he didn't quite understand what that had to do with all of this.

Haley snapped her eyes back at him the second the words left his mouth.

"This necklace, Nathan, was a gift from him when I was…" She trailed off and shuddered by the thought. She looked firmly into his eyes and breathed in deeply before she willed herself to continue. "And I remember specifically that I sent it back to him, since I didn't want to keep anything that had anything to do with him or reminded me of him after what happened." She shook her head softly and felt a fresh tear roll down her cheek.

She felt the walls in the room starting to close in on her as the thoughts of him being in this house, in this room, sitting on their bed, doing god knows what, were running through her head. It slowly became harder to breathe and she started to feel sick and defeated somehow. Scared. Her stomach started to churn and twist and she felt disgusted by the mere thought. The bitter taste in her mouth appeared quickly and her head was reeling. She stared at the necklace in her hand and felt fright and anger bubble up inside of her. She suddenly dropped the necklace on the floor and stared blankly into the space.

Nathan continued to stare at her without being able to say anything. He was taken aback by all this information, and by the way Haley was reacting to all of this. He saw how the different emotions changed in her eyes, till it was suddenly nothing. He raked his brain as he tried to come up with something to say. Something that would calm her down, but he honestly didn't know what to do right now. Her words were slowly sinking in, and he soon came to the realization of the extent of the situation.  
>How the hell was he able to get in here without anyone noticing? And what about the alarm system? He was positive he had checked that it worked not that long ago, so what the hell had happened? He made an angry mental note in the back of his mind to give the useless security company a call tomorrow morning, and ask them why the hell they didn't notice this glitch that apparently had appeared.<p>

He heard the necklace hit the floor and realized he hadn't said anything for a few minutes. He was about to reach out to her, when she turned around to the bed and started to rip off the sheets and throw them angrily onto the floor. He jumped back a little and heard her heavy breathing as she continued to attack the sheets. He soon heard her sniffle and knew she was crying.

He drew a deep, silent breath and felt his chest starting to tighten by the sound of her crying. He hated it more than anything when she cried. And he hated the reason for her crying and acting like this. He felt so helpless, worried and scared. For her. For them.

The familiar uneasy feeling he'd had not that long ago, when she had closed herself off from him - from everyone, started to crawl back under his skin and quickly run down his spine. He had to do something, before it went that far. He couldn't let that happen again, not when they had finally gotten to talk and were able to get through to each other, and agreed that they would face this together. He would never, ever let her deal with this alone. Her problems were his problems. She had to know that by now.

Nathan closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Haley." He spoke softly not to startle her.

She didn't respond. She was still ripping the sheets off, and he could hear how angry she was by her breathing. He dragged his hand over the back of his neck and stepped closer to her. He was about to lay his hand on her shoulder, when she suddenly stopped what she was doing. He let his hand fall back down and held his breath as he waited for her next move. When she didn't say or do anything for another moment, he spoke up again. "Hales…?"

Haley couldn't see anything but his face. His smug, satisfied smirk kept popping up which made her rage. She could barley see what she was doing because the tears continuously spilled and made her face all wet and sticky. She suddenly halted her ministrations as the thoughts of this circumstance made her head spin uncontrollably. The uneasy, disgusted feeling spread through every cell of her body, and at this point, she couldn't differentiate between the fright and the fury that fired through her body. Whether she was more angry or more scared, or if they evened each other out.

She heard the calm, soft voice behind her, which held a great deal of concern in it. She felt a tiny stir in her chest by the sound of his voice, like it always did, and closed her eyes. She couldn't do this. She couldn't do this to him. He deserved so much better. It was clear that Damian meant what he had said. He obviously had gone through his ways to get into this house while they were away, and if he could pull this off without being caught, then God knows what else he had waiting for them.

She shuddered and opened her eyes again. "I can't…" She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head.

When Nathan put his hand on her back she involuntarily flinched and her body tensed in an instant. She felt his hand drop by her response, and immediately felt bad.

"Haley, please don't…" He sighed. She noticed the scared, pleading tone of his voice as it cut through her skin and hit her heart, making the pain even worse.

She let out a silent sigh and turned slowly around to face him. Her arms were still wrapped tightly around her torso for some sort of protection from the discomfort she felt in the atmosphere by knowing that he had been in here. She willed herself to look at Nathan, but were unable to meet his gaze. She focused on his chin and tried to push the images of that bastard out of her head. But it was useless. He had managed to succeed by taking control again. He didn't even have to show himself physically to throw her completely off and send her back into the never ending maze of darkness. Her heart was beating furiously against her chest, which made her dizzy and uneasy.

She wished they'd never come back here. She wished they could've stayed in France where everything was nice and easy. Where all they had was each other. No Damian. No fright. No darkness. They could've been happy there. She had felt it. Her heart had been so much lighter. After their talk, or her so-called awakening, she'd felt that heavy weight around her heart, and the little voice in her head had finally started to dissipate. She had felt completely carefree and in love. And more importantly, she was loved. She couldn't remember ever being so happy.

Right now that seemed like a lifetime ago, or it felt more like a dream. It certainly didn't feel like it was only a few days ago. But it was. And here she was now. Back to this nightmare. The nightmare that was her real life. She wanted to scream. To make it all go away. She didn't have the energy to deal with this, she didn't know what to do to make sure Nathan would be okay, that he wouldn't get hurt. But she felt like Damian held all the power, no matter what they did or where they went, he would always find a way back into her life.

"Haley, please just…let me put some new sheets on the bed, and then we'll deal with all of this tomorrow, after a good nights sleep, okay?" Nathan was worried sick right now. She hadn't said anything since she'd turned around, and her eyes didn't give away anything. He wanted to take her in his arms and make it all go away. He wanted to promise her that this would be gone by the time they woke up tomorrow, that there would be no more Damian, no more worries and angst. But he knew, just as well as she did, that it didn't work like that. This was reality, and they had no choice but to face it. He only hoped it wasn't too late, that she hadn't already built that wall again. He knew she needed him, and he wanted her to realize that she needed him. He wanted to be there for her and to be the one she could lean on and trust in, no matter what it was. He wanted to protect her, to shield her from all the pain the world was trying to cause her. Especially scumbags like Damian. However, he had learned from the previous incidence that this time he was not going to leave her alone so that she could rebuild that protective shell and push him away. He had to be adamant and make her communicate. He had to make her share all of her thoughts and worries with him, so that they wouldn't get cooped up and make her even more distant than she already was.

"I can't be here…" She whispered, hugging herself harder.

No, no, no. Nathan was slowly panicking. This can't happen again. He tentatively closed the gap between them and put his hand on her arm, stroking her exposed skin softly.

"Haley, look at me." He said in a soft, but firm tone as he towered above her. She kept her eyes at his chest, but didn't move away, so he carefully moved his hand under her chin and tilted it up so he could meet her eyes.

"Listen, baby." He started and made sure she held his gaze before he continued. "Don't do this to yourself. If you leave now, you're only giving him what he wants. I know you can beat him. _We_ will get through this." He cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb along her cheekbone.

"And we don't have to sleep in here tonight. We can go back downstairs and sleep there, that bed is already made from last night, or we can use the other bedroom down the hall from here." He added and continued to softly caress her cheek.

Haley held onto his gaze like her life depended on it. His kind, welcoming, blue eyes, that always had their way of making her completely captivated every time she looked into them. And it felt so good, the way he drew her completely in, and made her feel safe and forget about everything else, even if it was only for a little while.

She felt the warmth from his hand, that kept caressing her cheek, spread throughout her body, making her shiver so slightly. And for those two seconds she let all of her guards down. Those two seconds that felt like an eternity, where there was no one else but them. She let herself feel him. She let his presence invade her body. Her heart. And there was nothing else she would rather feel for the rest of her life.

Nathan got a spark of hope as he felt Haley lean into his hand and breathe in deeply as she closed her eyes. He let out a silent sigh of relief and smiled down at her. However, that smile soon faded as he was met with a pair of tearful, brown eyes, as she opened them. He could see pain, sadness and fright swirling around behind the tears. Instinctively, he brought his other hand to her face, in an attempt to keep her with him, as he felt she was about to slip away from him - again.

He felt his pulse increase as he heard her take a deep, shaking breath, as if she was preparing herself to say something. He could already feel how his chest started to close in on his heart, making it difficult to breathe.

Haley looked at Nathan with sad eyes and shuddered as another image of Damian in their bedroom flashed through her mind. She tensed and pried her way out of Nathan's grip. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have to get out of here." She swallowed and made her way to the closet where she pulled out her bag and started to throw clothes into it.

Nathan was left behind, speechless and slightly baffled by what he was currently witnessing. What the hell was all this? What did she mean by "I have to get out of here"? Was she going away for a while? Was she moving out? Or was she leaving him? No, that can't be it. Not after everything they've been through, and they both know how they feel about each other. She can't just pick up and leave because of this man that, yes, is obviously crazy, and yes, he made threats about him and their relationship.

He raked his hand through his hair as the worst possible thoughts and outcomes invaded his head. He tried to come up with something to say, anything that would make Haley stop what she was doing, but he couldn't seem to find the right words, or any words for that matter. He felt like he was about to throw up from all the emotions running through him, when Haley suddenly walked past him and out the door with the bag slung over her shoulder. It took him another second to gather himself, before he turned and followed her footsteps.

"Haley!" He called out, and practically ran down the stairs to catch up with her. He halted at the bottom step when he saw her put on her jacket and grabbing the keys to her car.

"Haley, please don't do this…" He choked back a tiny sob that was threatening to escape when she picked up her bag and moved towards the door.

When she stopped as she put her hand on the handle, Nathan knew that this was it. This was his chance to make her change her mind and get her to stay. He closed his eyes for a brief second and inhaled deeply.

"Hales…" He started. He could hear how weak he sounded, and tried to shake it off before he continued. "Don't leave. You know that that's exactly what he wants. Please don't give him that satisfaction." He paused and carefully stepped down the last step as he heard Haley breathe in deeply. He wanted to walk all the way over to her, but he stopped a few feet away from her.

"Can you honestly say that you will make things easier by walking through that door right now? Will that make you happy? More at ease?" He paused again, but didn't expect her to answer him, so he spoke up again, feeling more confident that he could make her stay when she didn't show any indications of moving.

"I know you're scared of what he might do, to me or to you. But I don't think us being apart will make it any easier or better. I think it'll be easier to fight him if we have each other. I can't just stand by and watch him take you away from me like this. I love you, Haley, with all my heart, and nothing is ever going to change that. I know I can't really speak on your behalf, or that I know what you're thinking, but I can feel the love you have for me. I feel it whenever you're around me, whether you touch me, or kiss me, or simply look at me with those beautiful eyes of yours. You melt my heart every time."

Haley clenched her eyes shut and felt her heart ache by his words. All she wanted to do was to turn around and throw herself into his arms and hold on to him forever. But she couldn't shake that little voice in the back of her head, no matter how hard she tried to push it away. It kept telling her that he'd be better off without her, that he would be safe as long as she stayed away. When she was out of the picture, then Damian would no longer be a threat to Nathan, and he could move on and live a happy life.

She jumped a little as she heard Nathan's voice again. He had moved even closer to her now, and she could almost feel the vibrations of his deep voice run through her body as he continued to talk.

"I know that deep down you don't really want to leave, just as much as I don't want you to leave. I need you, Hales. And you need me. Please let me be here for you. Protect you."

The agonizing pain shot through her once more. He was hurting, and it was all because of her. She didn't want to leave him, but did she really have any other choice? She would never forgive herself if Nathan ended up being hurt in some way or even worse… Yet here she was, in a position that she would be the cause of him hurting, if she were to walk out that door. She was torn. She couldn't stay in this house right now, but she also didn't want to leave him like this. She had to give him something. But what could she say to him without breaking him? It didn't matter whatever she told him, she would still end up hurting him.

She let out a small sigh and bit her lip nervously. She felt his warm breath hit her at the back of her neck and closed her eyes for a second, before she turned around slowly.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this…"

"It doesn't have to be, Haley." Nathan instantly cut her off and closed the small gap between them.

"You know I love you, Nathan." She saw Nathan's face wince as her voice sounded unconvincing. "But I can't be here right now, I just feel uneasy about it all. Knowing that he was in our house and…" She trailed off and placed her hand over her stomach when she saw the pain flicker in his eyes.

He shook his head softly and placed his hand on her arm. "Haley…" He sighed. "I wish you would stop shutting me out like this."

She looked into his eyes and grazed her hand across his bare chest, the warmth of his skin ran through her like it always did when she touched him. She closed her eyes and let the feeling linger for another second, before she opened her eyes again and met his intense, hurtful gaze.

"I'm…sorry, Nathan." She paused and blinked a couple of times. "I'll be at Peyton's." She added and quickly walked out the door before he could get in another word.

* * *

><p>Nathan waited impatiently as the bartender filled his glass again. "Just leave the bottle" He muttered before he downed the shot. He clenched his teeth as he swallowed the burning liquid and then refilled his glass. He couldn't feel anything, except for the pain that was shooting through his hand. He glanced down at it and cringed as he tried to make a fist. It hurt like hell, but he didn't really care. He stared blankly at the bottle in front of him as the image of Haley walking out the door appeared again. She hadn't even waited for him to respond, she had simply left him there, completely dumbfounded. After a few moments he'd finally managed to get himself out of his trance and then he'd lost it. He'd slammed his hand into the door in pure rage when he realized that that mother fucker had once again scared her off.<p>

Or was it all because of Damian? Right now he didn't really know what to think. Maybe she only needed an excuse to get away from him. Maybe she didn't really love him.

At that thought he found himself reach for the bottle again. This time he didn't even bother using the glass. He needed to numb the excruciating ache that ripped through his chest as he couldn't shake the horrible thought. He noticed someone take a seat next to him as he placed the bottle down at the bar counter. He didn't bother turning around to see who it was.

"It looks like you could use some company." He heard a female voice purr in his ear as she scooted closer to him.

Nathan sighed annoyingly and rolled his eyes, still keeping his gaze straight ahead of him. He continued to ignore her as he felt her brush her hand against his arm that was resting on the bar counter. Couldn't people get a fucking clue? He was not interested in some lame ass chit chat with random bar sluts. He wanted to be left alone with his bottle.

"What happened to your hand, baby?" She continued and stroked the skin of his forearm.

Nathan clenched his jaw in annoyance and exhaled sharply. "First of all, I'm not your baby. And second, that's none of your god damn business. Now, if you'll just leave me alone and go back to where you came from, that would be great." He said as calmly as he could and shook her hand off of his arm, still without granting her a single glance.

"Someone's a little cranky today. Trouble with the misses? You know I can help you get your mind off of things." She placed her hand on his knee.

Nathan was just about to tell this slut to get the hell away from him, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He wanted to ignore it, but the curiosity and the hope that it might be Haley made him slide it out of his pocket.

The disappointment washed through his veins when he saw it was from Jake.

He reluctantly read the text and closed his eyes for a second. He let out a small breath and read it once more, before he placed the phone back into his pocket.

"Come on, let's get out of here. My place is just around the corner." The annoying voice spoke up again.

Nathan looked down at the hand that was still resting on his knee and clenched his jaw. "Since you clearly don't understand english, I'll be taking off - alone. I'm sure you'll find someone else to bother in this bar." He gritted at her as he threw money on the bar counter before he got off the chair and left the bar with Jake's text message in the back of his mind.

* * *

><p>"Give me a call when it's taken care of." He shook the guys hand and smirked to himself. This was all going according to his plan, it was almost too easy. He was sure that in a matter of a few days, she would be back with him. Just as long as this guy did what he was told. It shouldn't be too hard though, even he could've done it himself, but he had to keep a low profile in case something went wrong.<p>

He knew that he had been a little careless when he broke into the house and left that necklace behind, but it had worked like a charm when he saw her leave in tears. And even better when pretty boy had followed moments later in rage and gone straight to the bar.

He chuckled quietly to himself as he got into the car. She was so predictable. He'd been keeping tabs on her for a long time now, so he knew that she hadn't let anyone get near her. He'd been so proud of her as she had kept dismissing every single guy that had tried to get to know her, until now. He clenched his jaw in frustration. What the hell was it with this guy that made him so fucking special? Why the hell did she let her guard down for this loser? He seriously could not understand what she was seeing in him. He was seething by the thought and wished that he could get the pleasure of beating the crap out of him. Instead he had be patient and wait for that single phone call that would tell him that Mr. Perfect was out of the picture. And he couldn't fucking wait.

* * *

><p>Nathan was holding his breath as he waited for the response.<p>

He'd woken up this morning at the couch still wearing his clothes. After he got that text from Jake, he'd walked straight back home and passed out the second his back hit the couch. This entire day had been awful, but he actually had been able to take care of a few things, like talk to the security company and managed to get to an agreement after yelling at them for what seemed like several hours. He had also talked to Lucas and reminded him to find out more about a restraining order.

However, the horrifying thought from last night kept swirling around in the back of his mind, but he tried not to let it get to him. He wouldn't allow himself to go there, at least not until he could talk to Haley. He needed to talk to her.

He pushed the door open and walked slowly in after he heard her voice. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he suddenly felt extremely nervous and insecure. He raised his gaze from the floor in front of him and moved it over to the bed. If it was possible, his heart started to beat even faster as his eyes finally landed on her tiny frame sitting on the bed. As he moved his gaze over her body, he noticed that she was wearing nothing but a pair of tiny, grey sleeping shorts and a white tank top. Her hair was pulled up with an elastic band at top of her head, and she was wearing her reading glasses.

When she finally looked up from the book she had in her lap, he was certain that his heart skipped more than a few beats just as her gorgeous, deep brown eyes met his.

God, she was beautiful.

Nathan carefully closed the door behind him, before he tentatively took a few steps closer to the bed.

"Hi." He started and watched as she closed her book and placed it on the nightstand. When she looked back at him, she had her lower lip tucked in between her teeth.

"Hi…" She breathed out and followed him with her eyes as he walked all the way over next to the bed.

She automatically wrapped her arms around herself, when he sat down at the edge of the bed, so that his thigh almost brushed up against her leg. She didn't know why it was, but she felt nervous somehow. She could feel her heart in the back of her throat as the scent of his cologne were slowly invading her senses. She felt a rush of need shoot through her. He didn't need to touch her or do anything in particular. His mere presence was more than enough for her body to explode with an excessive yearn and desire.

However, she couldn't let her body take control right now. She needed to suppress whatever it was that her body seemed to crave - what it always seemed to crave when it came to Nathan. Now was just not the time.

"Hales…" She noticed the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes as he started to talk. The insecurity and uncertainty was evident in his voice, and he sounded broken.

"I…can't…" He was struggling to find the right words. He didn't want to say the wrong thing that might push her in the wrong direction, even further away from him. He was scared to death, but he had to make the jump. There was no way he was gonna let her drown herself.

_What if she doesn't love you anymore_?

There it was again. It hit him hard this time, and he quickly moved his gaze away from her. It was suddenly difficult to breathe, but he had promised himself that he was not going to break down this time. He took a deep breath and composed himself.

"I'm not gonna let you do this again, Haley." He spoke calmly and raised his gaze at her again. "I know you, Haley James, and this is not who you are. You don't run away and hide once life gets a little hard. You fight back, like you have done so many times, and you will get through this." He placed his hand on the soft skin right above her knee. "However the difference this time, from all the other times, is that now you'll have me by your side." He caressed her thigh softly as he held on to her gaze. "I just hope you trust and love me enough to know that I will never let anything happen to you. That you'll allow me to be here for you, through everything."

Haley already felt tears burn behind her eyes. "It's not me that I'm worried about, Nathan. I'm scared to death that he'll do something to you. And he's going to try as long as I'm with you. I know him." A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"Are you sure that's all it is? I mean…or are you running away from me?" Nathan diverted his eyes away from her in embarrassment as he asked her. Here he was again, feeling the most vulnerable he'd ever been, but he needed to know, no matter how much the answer would hurt.

Haley felt her heart sink in her chest. She knew she was giving him mixed signals with the way she behaved, of course he doubted her. She closed her eyes briefly and breathed in.

"Nathan…" She started and scooted closer to him, her voice barley over a whisper.

How could she have been so reckless and selfish as to allow herself to be responsible for breaking this wonderful man that was sitting in front of her - again? She had been so caught up in Damian and his threats that she hadn't even noticed how much Nathan was hurting. And leaving him hadn't even been on her mind this time, not after realizing how much she actually needed him in her life. She knew that now. A life without Nathan was no life at all. She loved him.

She palmed his face and forced him to look at her. Tears were now rolling continuously down her cheeks, as she eventually caught his blue eyes.

"I don't even know where to start or how to say how sorry I am for making you feel like this. The way I've been treating you since we got together is completely unacceptable, I know that, and I'm so SO sorry - you have no idea." She looked deeply into his eyes and stroked her thumb softly across his cheekbone.

"I didn't realize until now, how badly I've been acting and treating you, and I am deeply sorry that it took me so long to finally see that. It shouldn't have happened, and I wish I could take it back, so bad. I just hope you can find it in your heart to give me another chance - to trust me again - and hopefully love me." She paused as she felt her voice break, not for herself, but for Nathan. She quickly wiped away a few tears before she continued.

"Because, trust me when I say, that I love you, Nathan. I love you with all my heart, and I'm so sorry that I made you believe otherwise." She saw a mix of emotions flash through his eyes as she spoke, and she felt him slowly, but surly starting to relax as he lowered his shoulders.

She took the opportunity and leaned in slowly and found his lips. She kissed him softly as she held his face to hers. It was a slow, tender kiss, but it was filled with every single feeling she had for him, to show him how much she wanted him. How much she needed him.

After a few seconds, she pulled back and saw that his eyes were still closed. She smiled softly as he slowly opened his eyes and smiled back at her, while he started to trace soft circles on her skin with his hand that still rested on her thigh.

She licked her lips and palmed his hand that rested on her thigh. The smile on his face soon changed into a cringe as he jerked his hand away from hers. He clenched his jaw and let out a grunt.

"Oh my God, Nathan. What happened to your hand?" Haley exclaimed in worry, when she saw the bruises on his hand.

She held out her hand to him. "Come on, let me have a look at it." She ordered him in a firm tone.

Nathan carefully placed his hand in her palm and saw how her face turned even more worried and serious.

"Oww, God damnit…!" Nathan jerked his hand away again, when Haley pressed her fingers carefully down on his knuckles.

"Nathan, have you even been to the hospital with this? It's probably broken, so you definitely gonna need an x-ray of that." She told him as she jumped out of the bed, already started to change into her jeans.

"You can tell me what happened on the way to the hospital. Come on, I'm driving." She grabbed a cardigan and the keys to the car as she dragged Nathan along with her out of the bedroom.

* * *

><p>"Baby, I'm so sorry." Haley sat down next to the bed that Nathan was currently sitting on.<p>

He'd been to x-ray, and now they were waiting for the orthopedic doctor to come and cast his hand. She looked at him with sad eyes, beating herself for being the one who had caused him this much pain. Both physically and mentally.

"And what about your job? Will you still be able to fly with the cast?" She asked worriedly and took his healthy hand in hers.

Nathan squeezed her hand. "It's not your fault that I lost my temper, Hales. You didn't hold my hand and smashed it into the door." He joked and gave her half a smile.

"Well, not literally. But I was the reason to why you did it…and I don't blame you." She gave him another apologetic look before she looked away.

"Hey, you're not the reason, Haley, and you know that. I just hate how he's able to get to you so easily, and I hate that he makes me feel so helpless, like I can't protect you and keep you safe." Nathan stroked the knuckles of her hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything, that you feel this way, the way I've been acting lately. And I'm sorry that he even exist in my life - our lives." She wanted to tell him that he did make her feel safe and protected, cause he did. But she also knew that with Damian still around, there was no way to predict what the next thing would be, or when. She hated not knowing. She hated walking around looking over her shoulder, and she hated how helpless _she_ felt, when it came to keeping Nathan safe.

"Hales…we will get through this. I know we will. But…" He paused for a second as he searched for the right words.

It was weird how this woman could make him feel so vulnerable and so strong at the same time. But she did, and there was no one else in the entire world he wanted to make him feel like this. She had a way of reach into him, like no one else ever had before. He smiled softly to himself at the feeling. When he felt Haley give him a reassuring squeeze at his hand, he broke out of his thoughts and took a breath before he continued.

"I can't continue like this. I mean, I can't continue walking around wondering what the next thing will be that's gonna scare you away, or when it'll be. I uh…I need you Hales, my heart simply can't take this anymore." His voice was honest and somewhat calm even though his heart was slamming furiously against his chest, and it felt like the room held the temperature of a burning fireplace.

"I just need your words from earlier to be true, because if they're not, I don't kn…"

"Nathan, I meant every word I said." He got cut off by Haley. "I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm done running away, unless it's with you, cause I'd go anywhere with you." She smiled at him as she moved from the chair to the edge of the bed.

"Oh, really?" He cocked his eyebrow and smirked at her.

"Yeah, come on, I mean, have you seen you?" She said sexily and traced her hand over his chest as she leaned in slowly.

Nathan chuckled softly and moved his gaze to her lips as she leaned in closer to him. Everything about her was simply perfect. Her touch, her sounds, her smell, and the way she always had her lip tucked between her teeth never ceased to drive him crazy.

When she got close enough, he met her soft lips in a slow kiss, that within seconds grew in intensity as they both got lost in each other. They let it last until air became an issue and they had to break away. Haley rested her forehead against his, and as she opened her eyes she met his, smiling back at her.

"So…did I ruin your business or what?"

Nathan couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at him with a tiny frown.

"Please, I think you're underestimating me Hales. This talent doesn't need two functioning hands to fly his baby." He smirked at her.

"Nathan, be serious!" She swatted his chest lightly, but were unable to contain her smile.

"I am serious." He winked at her.

"Nathan…" She sighed. She didn't think it was funny at all, if he had to cancel his flights while he had to wear the cast, or make Jake and Vince take his load because of something she was responsible for.

"As long as they keep my fingers out of the cast, then it won't be a problem. I promise." He assured her.

"Okay, good." She breathed out in relief.

"Speaking of, I have a flight tomorrow evening actually, but I'll be back the day after though. Do you think you'll be okay here?" He asked and laced their fingers. "I mean, cause you'll come back with me to the house now, right?" He sounded insecure as he asked. "I did change the sheets on our bed, and I even tried to clean a little. Plus I got the security company to always have a guy out in front of our house since they messed up while we were gone."

Haley smiled as Nathan kept on rambling and felt her heart swell by the way he always considered her first in everything he did. He was amazing.

"You should've heard me, Hales. I was ready to go over there and….what?" He stopped himself when he noticed her smiling at him.

"I love you, Nathan Scott. I wish I could've met you a long time ago."

Nathan looked at her slightly confused at first, as he was so caught up in convincing her to come back home with him. But as her words slowly registered with him, he grinned at her and lifted her hand to his mouth before he kissed her knuckles.

"So, does that mean you'll come home with me tonight?" He asked and lowered their hands into his lap.

The nagging voice in the back of her head kept yelling at her, but she knew she had to start fighting it for real, otherwise she would lose him forever. So this was it. It was all or nothing, and she knew in her heart that this man would be worth it all. She could feel it, even though she still felt terrified and insecure, but that was not a good reason to give up. She had to face her fear and her inner battle in order to get what she wanted, and what she wanted was Nathan. Not only did she want him, but she really needed him in her life.

"Yes, I'll come home with you - to our home." She smiled as she saw Nathan's features break out into a huge grin.

He embraced her and buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scents. "I love you too, Haley. So much. We're going to get through this, I promise." He whispered into her skin, making her tremble.

God, I hope you're right. Haley thought as she hugged him tightly and closed her eyes, never wanting to let him go.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; So, that "only" took like 5 months or so...and I'm really sorry you had to wait that long. But I'm back now, and hopefully I'll be able to update before another 5 months passes *cringes*  
>Anyway, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time giving excuses for the hold up, it's simply life. However, I hope I managed to pick up from where I left off and that you enjoyed this chapter.<p>

Thank you all for your patience and for still keeping up with this story! Never give up, right? ;)


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer; I do not own anything.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Four<strong>

"What on earth did you write in that text?" Peyton curiously asked Jake. "I mean, look at them! She did not look like that when I last saw her." She moved her gaze over at Nathan and Haley, that was currently leaned into the wall, face to face, next to the door leading out to the runway. They were only inches apart and their hands were intertwined, as they only had eyes for each other.

"I don't kiss and tell, Peyton. But apparently, they do." He joked and chuckled as he also directed his gaze towards them. Nathan had now moved his head closer to her ear and were obviously whispering something that made Haley blush and giggle softly at him.

"Jake, please tell me!" Peyton whined and smacked him lightly at his arm.

"No-uh. That's between me and Nate. Sorry baby, but we're guys and we don't do the whole gossip-sharing thing, like you girls do." He smirked at her.

"Fine, I'll just ask Haley after you've left. I'm sure he told her, and I know she'll tell me, cause that's what we do, apparently." She huffed at him, feigning annoyance.

Jake chuckled and shook his head softly. "Well, at least Haley's going to miss Nathan while we're away." He made a small pout, as he picked up his bag from the floor and slung it over his shoulder.

"Are my baby cranky cause he doesn't get all the attention right now?" Peyton pouted at him teasingly.

"No, no, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Jake said dryly and couldn't help but smile when he looked at Peyton, who was trying to hold back her laughter.

"Aww, come here." She said as she draped her free arm around his neck as she leaned on the crutches with the other one. "You know I kind of like you, right?" She smiled at him as she saw his face soften a little. "And of course I'm going to miss you." She added and gently pecked his lips.

She pulled back slightly and saw Jake smile mischievously at her. "What?"

"Kind of?" He asked, still with a smile.

Peyton dramatically rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, fine. A lot. There, happy now?"

"A lot." He spoke low before he leaned in and found her lips.

"Take care of Haley while we're gone, okay?" He said after he ended the kiss. He held her gaze and stroked his knuckles over her cheek and placed a small kiss at her forehead. "And Peyton…I love you too." He added before he slowly walked towards the exit where Haley and Nathan were standing.

* * *

><p>"Do you have any idea of how close I am from canceling this trip right now?" Nathan whispered and gently squeezed her hand.<p>

"Do you have any idea of how much I want to tell you to do it right now?" Haley whispered back and leaned her head into the wall as she kept his gaze.

"Please don't make this harder for me than it already is." Nathan groaned and placed his healthy hand at her waist, pulling her closer to his body.

"I'm sorry, I know you have to do this. And I know it's just for one day, but it's going to be lonely here without you, you know." She made a tiny pout and sighed while she played with his fingers on his casted hand. "Besides, you're kind of hard to resist in this uniform…" She trailed off and moved her hand to his biceps.

Nathan let out another deep groan and leaned in so he was hovering in front of her face. "You're kind of hard to resist, period." He spoke low before he closed the remaining gap between them and softly touched her lips.

Haley dug her nails into his arm as she felt his soft, warm lips move against her own. Her head was reeling and her legs started to feel like jelly as she felt the sensations of the kiss seep into her body.

"Okay, you two lovebirds, it's time for us to hit the runway." She heard a faint voice followed by a soft chuckle behind her, and moaned into his mouth as she felt Nathan's grip at her waist tighten.

Nathan pulled back slightly and kissed her a couple of more times, before he opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry baby, but I have to go." Haley's eyes were still closed, and her lips were slightly parted after their kiss, with a soft smile that grazed her beautiful features.

"Mmm." Haley sighed contentedly as she still felt the tingles from the kiss crawl under her skin. She licked her lips as she slowly fluttered her eyes open, savoring the taste of him.

"I'll miss you." She said and snaked her arms around his back, hugging him tightly.

Nathan placed a kiss at the top of her head. "I know, I'll miss you too. But I'll be back before you know it." He spoke into her hair before he pulled away, leaning down to grab his bag and coat.

He leaned in once more and pecked the corner of her mouth. "I'll kiss you later." He winked at her, before he reluctantly walked away from her.

"Take care of that hand and call me when you land." Haley called after him as she watched his retreating form walk through the door and wave his hand back at her in confirmation.

When she turned around she almost crashed into Peyton that was standing right behind her with a questioning look, leaned on her crutches.

"What's up with you, goldilocks?" Haley asked when she saw Peyton's face turn into a playful smile.

"No no. What's up with you? The last time I saw you, you were practically ready to jump off a cliff, and then Nathan showed up last night…" She stopped and let the words linger as she studied Haley's expression. "What the hell did he tell you that made you go from dark and depressed to…well this?" She added and nodded her head up and down at her.

Haley chuckled softly at her friend. She knew she probably seemed bipolar as hell right now, and she couldn't exactly blame her. But a lot had happened yesterday, and she'd had time to think things through before Nathan had showed up. If he hadn't taken the initiative last night, then she would've met him here before he left town and told him that she was done. Not done with him, but done running away. She knew in her heart that she was supposed to be with him, especially after that so-called wake up call she'd had yesterday.

Yes, she was still scared of Damian, but if she kept running and hiding from him, and from Nathan, then she would never get her life back, and she would probably end up losing the love of her life. Nathan was a man of patience, but she saw how much strain she constantly kept putting on him by the way she was acting. His patience could only take so much, and she knew that she was the one who had to step out of her entangled mess of a maze in order for them to work. It was all on her, and she knew that.

She looked back at her friend and smiled softly. "Why don't we go back to your place and I'll tell you all about it?" She offered and started to walk slowly.

"Okay, fine. But I want all the dirty details, Hales." Peyton grinned and turned around and hopped after her on her crutches, while Haley just laughed in response.

* * *

><p>Haley made her way out of the restroom with a sigh and headed for the locker room. Jen had been gushing over a book that she'd just finished reading, and wanted Haley to read it too so they could have something to discuss when things got quiet around here.<p>

So here she was, at the hospital, to pick up that book which Jen had left for her in her locker, before she was going to the grocery store and then back to Peyton's again to make them dinner. At least she hadn't excused herself before she had told Peyton about yesterday in every detail, well, all except one that was.

A weird, but good feeling coursed through her as she thought about it, and she couldn't help but smile to herself as she continued to walk through the corridor.

She had a million thoughts running through her head right now. There was so much going on, and she didn't quite know how to deal with it all.

Nathan. Damian. Work. And…

"Oh, hi Haley." A voice broke her out of her thoughts.

She looked up and smiled at John, who'd stopped in front of her. "Hi John." She replied.

John was also a resident. He'd started the same year as her, and they had clicked from the very start. She remembered noticing him on their first day. His dark, slightly curled hair, along with his deep, brown eyes and that big smile he always seemed to carry around. It was that smile that had captured her in some way and how it always seemed to reach his eyes. He had this special way of making people around him in a good mood, whether he actually talked to them or simply passed them in the corridors. His entire way of being was infectious, but in a good way. He always made the best out of everything, and spread this positive energy around himself without even trying.

They had even gone out on a few dates, but they'd found out rather fast, that there was no romantic chemistry between them, so they both decided to stay friends.

"How are you? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." He said and noticed that she seemed a little distant. She was smiling, but he could see in her eyes that something was bothering her.

He knew about her relationship with Dr. West, and knew they had ended when he all of a sudden had left town. He found that to be weird since they seemed to be very happy together, and he simply couldn't understand how a guy could just pick up and leave a woman like Haley.

"I'm good, John. How are you?" She darted her eyes away from his gaze. She knew that he could somewhat read her, which scared her a little, so she wanted to steer the conversation away from her.

His beeper suddenly went off, and she blew out a silent sigh of relief as he quickly checked to see what it was.

"Ahh, I'm sorry Haley, but I have to run." He apologized.

He placed his hand on her arm as she shook her head in understanding. "It's okay."

"Hey, why don't we meet up for a drink later and catch up? I've missed you." He squeezed her arm gently and smiled at her.

"Umm, sure." She nodded and gave him a short smile before he started to walk away.

"Great, I'll call you later then. It was nice seeing you again, Haley!" He turned his head before sprinting away.

"You too." She whispered to herself as he had already disappeared around the corner.

She stayed still for a moment and dug through her handbag searching for her phone. Nathan still hadn't called her, which she thought was weird, since he should've landed by now. She sighed softly and placed the phone back in her purse when there was no new messages or missed calls, and continued into the locker room.

She quickly went over to her locker and pulled out the book before placing it in her purse, while shaking her head softly. This book better be good, Jen, she thought and smiled to herself.

As she smacked the locker shut and turned around to walk back out, she jumped almost ten feet into the air and backed into the locker. She placed her hand over her chest as she felt her heart almost come to a complete stop.

It didn't take long before she felt her heart come back to life as it started hammering hard against her chest. She clutched her hand around the handle of her handbag and felt her breath increase in frequency. At first she was terrified and her stomach started to churn and twist, making a nauseating feeling ascend into the back of her throat. She felt the air in the room was sucked out and suddenly time stood completely still.

"Hi Haley." The voice sent uncomfortable chills down her spine making her suck in a short breath.

She closed her eyes for a second to collect her racing thoughts, but snapped them open when she heard the door close.

* * *

><p>"How the hell did that stupid cat manage to get out on the runway?" Nathan cursed under his breath as they were inspecting the damage on one of the wheels of his jet.<p>

After they'd landed, they had felt a slight bump as they were hitting the breaks. Thankfully they had been able to stop completely without any personal injuries, but as they got out of the jet, they had noticed a small piece of the breaks that had fallen off.

"Got me." Jake replied in a calmer tone, but you could hear the underlying annoyance. "At least no one got injured, well except for that poor cat." He supplied as he got up from his hunched down position.

"Damn it!" Nathan exhaled and raked his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Well, there's not much we can do right now, you heard them say that they won't get the piece in until tomorrow morning. So let's just go to the hotel and relax." Jake said trying to calm down his friend.

Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm definitely going to need a drink right now, let's go." He said and patted Jake on his back, as he tried to calm himself down a little.

"Oh, hell yes!" Jake laughed as they walked out of the hangar.

Nathan sat down at the edge of the bed in his room after he'd changed out of his uniform. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed the last call on the list. He sighed tiredly as he heard it got connected to voice mail.

"Hey, Hales. It's me. We got some trouble when we landed here, and lost a piece of one of the breaks on the jet. Don't worry, we're fine, but they won't get the new piece until tomorrow morning, and I don't know how long it takes to fix it. But I'll keep you posted. I'm sorry, baby. Hope you're okay. Give me a call when you get this. I miss you."

He let out another sigh and stared at the phone in his hand for a few seconds before he got up and walked out to meet Jake.

* * *

><p>Fear was surging through her veins, keeping her paralyzed to the spot where she was standing. She tried to keep her breathing in check and automatically backed even further into the locker behind her, as she saw him start to move slowly towards her - his disgusting smirk plastered all over his face as his eyes kept roaming up and down her body.<p>

She quickly scanned the room to see how far it was to the nearest other exit, and realized it was on the far right end. She saw a bench that was located in the line of her escape and realized that she had to run around it in order to make it over to the door. She let out a silent, disappointed sigh when she knew that she wouldn't be able to make it to the door without him catching her first, since she was too far away from the destination.

When she directed her gaze at him again, she saw that he had noticed her little plan of escape route as he softly shook his head at her while continuing to walk closer to her.

Haley tried to run every single possible way for her to get out of there in her head, while trying to keep herself in check and not freak out, even though her heart was rapidly beating in her chest, making her extremely dizzy.

What the hell was he doing here? He was obviously not working cause he wasn't wearing his scrubs, so then what? Had he been following her here? A shaky feeling rushed through her as she thought about the possibility of him stalking her around. She knew his unstable mind was capable of doing that since he had actually managed to get into their house and leave her that necklace without anyone noticing it.

Her mind started to boil and she felt frightened by his intense gaze. She started to move her eyes around the room and eventually rested them on the door behind him.

She tried to rationalize her thoughts and think about the good things she had in her life, to give herself some sort of courage and motivation so the fear wouldn't take control, as she silently prayed for someone to walk into the room before it was too late. She remembered the words she had said to Nathan and the promise he gave her last night and tried to hold on to that.

Damn it, she had come too far now, and whatever it was that Damian wanted out of her, he had to fight hard, because that's what she was going to do. She would not surrender to his sick, twisted mind anymore.

Enough was enough.

She felt anger and fury bubble up inside of her as she watched him stop a few meters in front of her.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing, Damian!?" She gritted out, her chest heaving by the underlying fright that kept murmuring under her skin.

His face turned into half a smirk as he stepped closer, forcing her even further into the locker. She winced a little as she felt the lock dig into her back, but ignored it the next second when he placed his hands on either side of her head, keeping her trapped.

"Don't worry Hales, I'm here to get you now, take you to a safe place so we can finally start our lives again." He spoke calmly with a certainty in his voice that cut through her skin like a knife, sending unpleasant shivers up and down her spine.

"You must be more delusional than I thought, if you think for one second that I'm going anywhere with you." She tried to make her voice sound strong, but her shaky breath made the words scream with insecurity and fear.

"Haley, I love you, and I know you love me, so please stop fighting it. It's going to be okay now." He moved his fingers to brush away a strain of hair that had fallen into her face.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" She raised her voice and slapped his hand away.

She could feel his breath fan out on her face as he leaned in closer and breathed her in. She turned her head to the side in disgust and closed her eyes as she kept praying for that door to open.

She knew that no matter what she would try, she wouldn't be able to get far, since he was so much stronger and faster than her. The look in his eyes told her that he wasn't going to let her go this time, and it scared her to the very core.

Suddenly her phone started to ring inside of her handbag and she snapped her eyes open. She knew by the sound of her ringtone that it was Nathan calling her. She quickly tried to grab into her handbag to get it, but Damian had already grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand hard into the locker behind her.

"It's _him_, isn't it…!?" He stated more than asked, in a voice that was filled with hatred.

He searched through her handbag with his other hand and fished out her phone.

"Oh, well, what do you know." He spoke up and showed her the flashing photo of Nathan as the phone kept ringing.

Haley clenched her jaw, partly in pain from the death grip Damian had on her wrist and partly from the ache in her chest when she saw Nathan's beautiful face on her phone. "Please don't…" Her voice was trembling and barley over a whisper.

"Don't what!?" He raised his voice, causing her to jump as her heart kept slamming against her chest.

The phone went silent, before a new voice mail notification ticked in on her phone.

Damian held the phone out in front of her and gave her a sly smile. "Let's hear what lover boy has to say, shall we?" As he pressed the button that called her inbox for voice mails.

"Damian, please…" Haley choked out as her eyes started to water. "Just let me go…" She begged weakly as she heard Nathan's voice fill the otherwise silent room.

"_Hey, Hales. It's me. We got some trouble when we landed here, and lost a piece of one of the breaks on the jet. Don't worry, we're fine, but they won't get the new piece until tomorrow morning, and I don't know how long it takes to fix it. But I'll keep you posted. I'm sorry, baby. Hope you're okay. Give me a call when you get this. I miss you._"

A silent tear rolled slowly down her cheek as she heard his voice. The only thing she could feel at that moment was the excruciating ache in her chest, that felt like it was about to rip her heart into pieces. The rest of her body went numb and she felt like giving up as flashes of Nathan appeared in her head. All the moments they'd shared together. Was this really the end?

Again she felt her stomach churn until she felt the bitter taste in her mouth. Her breath was short and ragged and her head was spinning out of control. She fought hard to keep focus when once again the thought about the future they were supposed to have together entered her mind.

Don't give up without a fight, she told herself repeatedly.

"What do you want from me?" She could barley hold her voice as she felt like she was falling apart on the inside.

"I just want you, baby." He spoke huskily as he held her chin with his hand and dipped his head in the crook of her neck, moving his nose up and down the column of her neck. "And now that it seems like prince charming is going to be delayed, we will have more than enough time to get away in piece and quiet." He whispered into her skin as he pinned her tightly into the locker.

Haley tried to focus on anything else but Damian and what he was doing to her. She kept her eyes glued to the doorknob, in hope that if she wished hard enough, the door would miraculously open it self, so that she could scream for help.

She clenched her hand tightly around the strap of her handbag and suddenly widened her eyes as the door finally swung open. She inhaled sharply as a tiny flicker of hope spread throughout her body. She was just about to call out for help when Damian suddenly enclosed his mouth over her own and her words died out as muffled sounds. She tried to hit him in the chest and push him away, but he caught both of her hands and held them tight into his body while he kept attacking her lips.

She heard a voice behind the door and tried to scream, but Damian's mouth only made it sound like she was moaning. Tears sprung freely from her eyes and every single hope she might have had died right at that second, when she heard the voice behind the door say "_Yes, I'll be right there_", before the door closed shut and all that was left was her alone with Damian.

Damian pulled back from her, licking his lips with a flash of victory in his eyes. "Well, isn't this my lucky day!?" He smirked down at her.

"Please just let me go." Haley felt sick by the taste of him and wanted to sink to the floor in surrender, but her body was held upright by Damian's strong grip.

He moved one of his fingers down her neck and over her chest as his gaze moved over her body. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." He groaned as his hand slowly traced down across her stomach towards the waistband of her jeans.

She gave him a pleading look with her tear-filled eyes as he leaned his head closer to her, all while his hand were still traveling further down her body.

* * *

><p>Nathan leaned back in his chair and sighed when he saw what time it was. It was late, and Haley still hadn't called him back after he'd left her that message. Usually she was pretty quick to get back to him, unless she was working, but she had the rest of the week off, so he knew that that wasn't the case.<p>

"Relax man, she's probably back with Peyton now. And if I know them like I think I do, they're probably cooped up on the couch with a glass of wine, gossiping about their female crap." Jake tried to ease Nathan as he'd been apprehensive basically all night. "She probably just forgot about the message. If you try her again now, I'm sure she'll pick up." He added and moved his eyes to his phone at the table as it started to ring.

"Ahh, it's Peyton. I'll ask her to have Haley call you back, okay?" He smiled and answered his phone.

Nathan nodded his head, not really listening to what Jake was saying. He had a feeling that something was wrong. Even if Haley had been busy and maybe forgot about his message, she still would've called him - message or not. He picked up his phone to try and call her again, but suddenly lowered his phone as Jake's voice turned serious along with the features of his face.

"Peyton, what do you mean she's not there?" A powerful sting cut through Nathan's chest the second those words left Jake's mouth.

He started to panic as the worst kind of thoughts ran through his head. He knew there had to be something when he still hadn't heard anything from her, and he had a feeling that he knew what, or rather who, it was all about.

He tapped his fingers nervously at the table while he waited for Jake to finish the conversation with Peyton. He still had a tiny bit of hope that this wasn't about Haley, but he needed to hear it in Jake's own words, so he would know whether he had to bolt out of there to reach the first flight home or not.

"Okay, call me if you hear anything, and be careful Peyton. I love you." Jake finished and moved his gaze across the table to find Nathan staring intently back at him, holding his breath.

"So?" Nathan released his breath after a few seconds when Jake still hadn't said anything.

Jake took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and leaned his elbows at the table. "Haley never came back from the hospital, and her phone seems to be turned off cause it goes straight to voice mail every time Peyton tries to call her. I'm sorry Nate." Jake studied Nathan's face as he spoke.

Nathan closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck…It's him, Jake. I know it is." He said low as he tried to keep the combined worry and anger that was bubbling up inside of him in check. "I need to go home." He added and felt his head start to flood with the worst possible thoughts.

"Okay, do you want me to come with you?" Jake asked as he saw the mixed emotions of anger, worry and fright whirl around in Nathan's eyes.

Maybe it was a good idea that he was with him, to make sure he didn't go and do something stupid. He knew how Nathan could get if he got upset or angry. That temper of his was nothing to joke about, his hand was a prefect example of that. And whenever someone that he loved and cared about got hurt or treated unfairly, he tended to snap completely until all he could see was red.

Nathan was his best friend, and he didn't want to see anything happen to him, so he decided that whatever Nathan said, he would still come with him. Besides, ever since he'd met Haley, he had come to care for her as well, and wanted to do whatever he could do to help get her back, if she was in fact abducted.

He flinched a little as that thought entered his mind, and shook it off. He didn't want to think about that, not until they knew for sure what was going on.

Nathan suddenly got up on his feet and placed some cash at the table for their drinks. "Thanks buddy. Meet you in the lobby in 10 minutes?" He said and turned around before he took off.

* * *

><p>Lucas opened the door to the study and carefully peeked in. "Hey, you're still working?" He asked as he walked into the room and closed the door behind him.<p>

Brooke looked up from the papers in front of her and sighed. "Hi. Yeah, I have to finish this before my meeting tomorrow. Almost done though." She smiled tiredly and leaned back into the chair. "Are you okay?" She asked as she saw a concerned look on Lucas' face as he sat down in the chair opposite of her.

Lucas sighed and dragged his hand through his blonde locks. "You wouldn't happen to have heard anything from Haley today?" He asked as he met her eyes.

"Umm, no. Why? Oh no. Don't tell me that we were supposed to meet up with her today? I know that Nathan is away right now, but I've been completely engrossed in this." She said and mimicked her hands to the papers that were spread all over her desk.

"No, no. I just got off the phone with Nathan actually…" He started as he met her eyes across the desk. He saw that she relaxed a little when he confirmed that she hadn't forgotten about meeting up with her, but immediately tensed back up when she looked into his eyes.

Brooke leaned over the desk and rested her forearms on top of it. "Lucas, is everything okay?" She asked nervously.

Lucas shook his head softly. "I don't know. Nathan told me he hadn't heard anything from Haley since he left this morning. The last thing he know is that she left Peyton's to pick something up from the hospital and then she would go grocery shopping before she was going back to her again. But she never showed up, and no one has been able to reach her on the phone. It seems like it's turned off or something."

"Oh my God." Brooke saw the worried look Lucas was giving her and immediately felt distraught herself. "Are you sure? I mean, hasn't anyone seen or talked to her while she was at the hospital?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but Nathan told me that he's on the next flight here, and he wanted me to go to the hospital and see if I could find her." He watched as Brooke shook her head in disbelief and worry, as he knew exactly what she was thinking. He had the exact same thought, and it made him feel more than a little uneasy.

He slowly got up from the chair and leaned his hands on the desk. "I'm going to take a drive over there and check out the place. But you just finish up in here, I already put the kids to bed, so you don't have to worry about them." He spoke calmly, trying to ease the tension they both were feeling at the moment.

"Okay." Brooke whispered, staring blankly out into space.

"Hey." Lucas said and cupped her cheek. "She's probably fine." He tried to sound believable, even though he had a hard time believing it himself. He was actually really scared for her now.

"Do you think it's him…?" Brooke met his gaze as she looked up, already with tears pooling in her eyes.

Lucas closed his eyes for a second and tried to will the thought away. "I don't know, but I have this nagging feeling that it is." He exhaled and saw a single, silent tear escape from the corner of Brooke's eye and roll down her cheek.

He gently wiped it away with his thumb before he leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sure she's fine. It's probably just a misunderstanding or something." He said, trying to keep his voice strong as he knew that they couldn't allow themselves to think the worst until they had all the facts. Haley was strong and he knew that she wouldn't just give up. If that was the case, then she would've left a long time ago. He needed to believe in her and the strength of the love she had for his brother. "Haley is a strong person, she's going to be fine." He added before he walked towards the door.

"Please find her." He heard Brooke's weak voice behind him and turned halfway around.

"I'll call you when I know more." He nodded his head firmly at her before he left.

Brooke nodded weakly and closed her eyes while she fell back in the chair. This could not be happening, not now, not ever. Haley was a good person, with a good heart. She had managed to win Nathan's heart, as well as theirs. She was a part of this family now, and Brooke couldn't even phantom the idea of something horrible happening to her. She could only imagine what Nathan was feeling at the moment.

A cold shiver ran down her spine and she quickly got up. She needed to do something, anything. There was not a chance in hell that she could finish her work now that her head was racing with the worst possible thoughts about what could've happened to Haley.

She walked upstairs with a sudden urge to check up on Daniel and Sarah. She just needed some sort of comfort right now, and she knew she could find it with them.

* * *

><p>Haley willed herself to think about anything else as Damian's hands and mouth kept assaulting her. Her eyes were clenched shut and tears were rolling silently down her cheeks. She pictured herself far away from there, in a place where she was happy. In a place where Nathan was by her side, holding his arms around her. He always made her feel loved and safe. No one could hurt her when she was in his strong embrace.<p>

There was no one else but them, smiling and laughing together.

"I can't believe that I kept myself away from you for so long, you taste so fucking good." Damian growled into her neck, which made Haley tremble in pure disgust, breaking her out of her happy place.

"What do you want from me?" Her voice was barley holding. She had stopped trying to push him away, it was useless since he was so much stronger than her and kept pinning her into the lockers behind her.

"What I want from you, is for you to be on your best behavior when we walk out of here." His voice was scaring her as he pulled back and looked at her with dark eyes. "I promise you, that if you try anything stupid, the breaks on lover boy's jet won't be the only problem the next time." His voice was still calm and she could see anger flash through his eyes as he spoke about Nathan.

Haley felt her chest tighten and the walls around her were closing up on her fast. Damian was the one that had messed with Nathan's jet, so that he would win more time to get away with her. She couldn't believe that he would actually take it so far. And what if something had actually happened with Nathan, and Jake?

Oh God.

She felt like she couldn't breathe and started to hyperventilate.

"Sshh, don't you go and faint on me now baby. It wouldn't look good if I had to carry you out of here. I need you to walk on your own feet, you got that?" He said firmly and released the tight pressure of his hand around her neck.

Haley managed to somewhat control her breathing, but it was still short and her mind was all over the place. She realized now how serious he was about his threats towards Nathan, and she knew that she didn't have any other choice but to cooperate with him and do as he told her. If not, then Nathan would end up getting hurt or worse. And she would never forgive herself if something happened to him.

The agonizing pain in her chest shot through every fiber of her body, as she silently nodded her head in defeat. Her neck was in pain after Damian's death grip, and she could feel her stomach contents were slowly ascending into the back of her throat.

"Good girl." He smirked proudly as he started to turn and threw his arm around her shoulders, to keep her close. "I can't wait to get you all by myself. We're going to be so happy together." He whispered into her ear before he dragged his tongue over her skin below her earlobe as he lead them towards the door.

Is this how it was supposed to end?

She couldn't imagine that she would never see Nathan again. Never again look into his beautiful eyes and feel him take a hold of her soul. Never again touch him, or kiss him. And never again be held and comforted by his warm embrace.

Her insides were screaming in an unbearable pain. She felt like she was falling apart.

As she walked through the long, empty corridors, all she could see was Nathan's face. And for every step she took, she could feel him slipping away from her, little by little, while her heart was slowly shattering into pieces.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; I know you probably don't like me very much right now, but unfortunately this was inevitable. The questions are, will someone stop them before Damian gets her out of there? Or will he once again get away unnoticed?

I hope I'll be able to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, but I can't promise anything.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, it's very much appreciated and definitely helps with inspiration and motivation for writing!


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer; I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything OTH related.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Five<strong>

Jake glanced at his friend sitting next to him and let out a silent sigh. He could see how worried and apprehensive he was, and he couldn't blame him. He was sure that he would've been the exact same way if it was Peyton that was "missing". He couldn't even start to imagine the way Nathan was feeling right now, and wished that there was something he could do for his best friend. But right now there wasn't anything neither of them could do. All they could do was wait till the plane landed, and then take it from there. Haley could be anywhere by now, if she was in fact abducted by that psycho. And he didn't even want to start thinking about what he might be doing to her.

He felt uneasy by the thought and briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them again he could see Nathan tapping his fingers at the top of the armrest while restlessly bouncing his knee up and down.

"We'll find her, Nate." He spoke calmly and noticed Nathan's breath got caught in the back of his throat. "Do you have a plan of what to do when we get back?" He added as Nathan closed his eyes while taking a deep breath.

Nathan had never in his entire life felt so helpless as he felt right now. He hated the feeling, more than anything. He felt trapped and suffocated, and there was nothing he could do to get out of it. At least not right now. And the amount of thoughts and fears that were running through his head right now didn't make it any better. He tried not to let them take over, but it was hard when he was almost positive that it was Damian that was responsible for Haley's sudden "disappearance".

The bitter taste in his mouth appeared slowly when he heard Jake talking next to him, and it suddenly became very hard to breathe.

Damn it, he couldn't lose it yet. He had to stay strong until he found her, until he knew she was safe. Falling apart was simply not an option, not now and not ever. He would walk through fire and move mountains for Haley. He would do anything for her. And he sure as hell wasn't going to let that scumbag of an ass take his girlfriend away from him.

The woman who made the world around her smiling and so much brighter. The woman who made his life complete.

The love of his life.

He breathed in deeply and tried to collect his thoughts.

"I should've done something sooner." He spoke low staring blankly ahead of him. "I could've prevented this if I ha -"

"Don't. This is not your fault, Nathan." Jake interrupted and shook his head. "No one could've predicted this, and don't forget that you guys like just came back from France, so when the hell were you supposed to take care of this, huh? Don't do this to yourself. That asshole doesn't deserve your guilt, okay?" He looked intently at Nathan who still kept his eyes at the back of the seat in front of him.

Nathan couldn't do anything except focusing on his breathing as he heard Jake talk. He needed to be home right now and look for her. He couldn't waste his time sitting on this fucking plane that took forever to get back. He wanted to scream out loud and yell at the pilots for taking so god damn long to get them back to Charlotte, but he hadn't lost his sense, at least not yet, so he tried to swallow the anger.

"What did Lucas say before we boarded?" Jake asked.

"He was just getting in his car." Nathan raked his hand through his hair and let out a sigh. "Damn it! I can't be here now, Jake. This is taking forever, and I need to be looking for her. I don't know what I'll do if I don't…" A lump formed in the back of his throat and he had to swallow hard to keep himself in check. His insides were churning by the uneasy feeling he had about the situation.

"Hey buddy, look at me." Jake prodded at him.

Nathan clenched his eyes shut.

"Nathan, look at me!"

Nathan slowly opened his eyes and turned his head.

Jake saw the hurt in his eyes and felt his heart sink. "We won't stop searching until we find her. And we will. We will find her, Nathan. Believe in that." Jake nodded his head firmly once and held his gaze.

Nathan nodded his head slowly while Jake's words kept replaying over and over in his head. He was right. They were going to find her, anything else was simply not an option. And who knew, maybe Lucas had already found her and had her waiting for him at the airport with him.

He needed to think positive and stay optimistic, otherwise this flight would be the end of him.

* * *

><p>Haley reluctantly followed Damian as they walked towards his car at the parking lot. She had tried to get the attention of the few people that had passed them in a hurry on their way out, but no one seemed to catch her desperate look, they were too engrossed in their own things and didn't even glance at them once. She knew that if she tried to scream or make a scene, then he would only snap and probably hurt her in one way or another, and then he would definitely hurry things up and get them out of there. This way she could at least buy herself some time by walking slowly next to him, in case a familiar face would show up - which, at this point, was her only chance to get away.<p>

She kept swallowing continuously to try and get the bitter taste in her mouth to disappear, but no matter how much she swallowed it seemed like it only intensified along with the constant churning in the pit of her stomach.

"You've been good, Haley. Almost there now." The confident, cold tone of his voice made her tremble with disgust.

She let her gaze wander around the parking lot to see if there was anyone else out there, but the ones she could see was either too far away or driving away - the glare of the taillights was like another knife stabbing through her rapidly, pounding heart.

She then tried, in another desperate attempt, to jerk herself away from him which only caused her to cringe in pain when Damian increased the pressure of his hand that gripped tightly around her arm.

"Oh no, don't even think about it. I'll let you go as soon as you get into the car, until then you'll stay right here with me." He spoke low, but firm. "Like I would ever let you go when I've gotten you this far. You're mine now, Hales."

Another set of trembles shot through her body by the sound of her nickname erupting through his lips. "Don't call me that!" She hissed through gritted teeth.

"Someone's a little grumpy." He laughed. "You used to love me calling you that, didn't you baby." He added and stroked his index finger along her cheek.

"Well, things change, don't they." Haley said angrily and wrung her head to the side in distaste and tried to push herself away from him again, but his grip around her arm was too firm, so there was no use. She wanted to cry out loud when he started to laugh softly next to her, and felt herself becoming weaker and weaker the closer they got to his car.

"You know, the more cooperative you are, the easier it'll be for you." He said as he pulled the car keys out of his pocket when they stopped next to his car.

Haley quickly swept her eyes over the parking lot, in one last desperate hope to see someone. Again, she was met with disappointment as there was no one in sight. She felt another wave of nausea rush back into her throat and her head started to spin uncontrollably. She supported herself against the car with her hand to prevent herself form falling down, and felt Damian tug hard on her other arm.

"Hey! Don't you dare faint on me now. At least have the curtesy to wait until you're in the car!" He snapped at her angrily as he opened the door to the back seat.

Haley felt the vomit rise into her mouth, and before she could even think or stop herself, she hunched her back and emptied her stomach contents all over Damian's legs.

She groaned out loud and placed her hand over her mouth before she slowly straightened herself back up. She kept her eyes glued to the ground, too afraid and too embarrassed to look directly at him. Her head was spinning wildly, while her stomach was still churning uncontrollably.

"What the hell!? You fucking bitch!" Damian yelled and the next thing she knew his hand connected with her face, making her stumble and fall into the side of the car and slide down to the ground.

She clenched her eyes shut and put her hand on her face as the excruciating pain continuously fired through her head.

Tears had already formed in her eyes, and as she slowly opened them up they spilled out and rolled fast down her cheeks. The flashbacks from last time sprung into her head and made her even weaker than she already was. She felt completely helpless right now, where she was laid on the ground next to his car. Every single hope she'd had about someone finding her, or that she would be able to get away from him, was fading fast.

All she wanted to do was disappear. She wished the ground would open up and just take her away from all of this. She couldn't even think about what he was going to do to her or where he was taking her without feeling sick and completely paralyzed.

Her hand fell to her stomach when she felt like she was going to throw up again, but she managed to control it by taking a deep breath.

Haley's head was throbbing like crazy and her ears were ringing loudly. She tried to make it stop by pressing her hand to her forehead, while she leaned her head back into the side of the car and closed her eyes.

Suddenly she heard Damian's voice as he cursed out loud and grabbed onto her arm to pull her up to her feet. "Come on, get up!" He snarled and pulled her roughly into a standing position.

"Hey!"

Haley heard someone shout from the other side of the parking lot and turned her head around to see who it was. Her vision was too blurry from all the tears to recognize the person, but she saw someone waving and running towards them. Feeling that tiny bit of hope rising within her again, she tried to wrestle her arm away and push Damian away. But her head was still reeling after he'd hit her, and she didn't have enough strength to fight him off.

"Get in the fucking car, now!" He yelled before he aggressively took a deathly grip around her neck and threw her into the backseat. He closed the door angrily before he quickly climbed in behind the wheel, wasting no time before speeding off like a madman.

* * *

><p>Lucas walked outside to the parking lot at the hospital. He'd been walking around asking people if they'd seen Haley, and everyone had given him the same answer. No one had seen her or heard anything from her. He'd started to lose every hope of finding her here, when suddenly a doctor came over to him after he'd overheard him ask another nurse about Haley. He told him that he'd met Haley in the hallway outside the changing rooms no more than 10 minutes ago, which ignited the hope of catching her here, or at least find her close by. That's when he'd decided to go outside and wait there for a while, in case she was still inside, cause it was almost impossible to find her in there when he didn't know his way around, and he figured that she had to come out at some point.<p>

He hadn't even been outside for more than 2 minutes when he heard a commotion at the other end of the parking lot and saw a guy slap a woman so she fell to the ground.

"Hey!" Lucas shouted and started to run towards them. They were too far away for him to recognize who it was, but he had a nagging feeling that this was Haley and that psychotic asshole.

He saw the guy turn his head around and quickly pull her up on her feet. When she got up, he was finally close enough to see that it was Haley, and he felt his heart starting to beat faster as he ran as fast as he could.

No, no, no! He screamed in his head as he saw Haley being thrown into the car while he was still too far away to reach them. When the car took off he cursed out loud and stopped abruptly, trying to catch his breath. He knew he had to act fast, so he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed 911, before he turned and ran fast towards his car.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"I just saw a woman being pulled into a car outside Carolinas Medical Center." Lucas said slightly out of breath as he rushed into his car, taking off after the car that held his brothers girlfriend.

"Do you have any identification of the car or the owner or where they are going?" The lady asked calmly.

"I'm in my own car now, following them. The car owner is Damian West, he's a doctor at this hospital. And the woman he abducted is Haley James, my brothers girlfriend." Lucas started to explain. "I couldn't catch the license number, but the car is a BMW X5, black."

"Do you still have a visual of the car, Sir?"

"Yeah, it looks like he's heading for Scott Avenue and Park Road Park, towards Ashbrook-Clawson village."

"Ok, I'll get a hold of a squad car at the nearest place, please hold the line."

"Yes, I'll hold." Lucas said and squeezed the steering wheel hard with his other hand. No matter what he did, he couldn't lose them, he had to make sure he found out where they were going. He would never forgive himself if this prick got away with Haley. That was out of the question.

He put his phone on speaker and placed it down next to him, so that he could use both of his hands on the wheel. He clenched his jaw while pressing his foot slowly down on the gas pedal, making the car go even faster. He didn't care if he broke every single speed limit right now. The only thought in his head was Haley. He couldn't let her out of his sight. She had to be okay. His brother would be devastated if anything would happen to her. And he would damn well make sure that this Damian guy wouldn't be able to do more harm to her than he'd already done.

He couldn't believe how fucked up this guy was. How anyone could ever hit a girl in the first place, but also stalk them and actually go through the lengths to make their life miserable and then abduct them?

"Sir, are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Okay, I'll have a squad car waiting right outside Ashbrook-Clawson village, and there will be another one coming up from East blvd. Where are you now?"

"Umm…I'm at the intersection just before where East blvd meets Scott Avenue."

"Okay, and are the BMW far ahead of you?"

"No, 40-50 feet I guess."

"Then I'm sure you'll see the squad car very soon, and they'll see you too. But I'm going to ask you to still hold the line until I've got conformation that they have you in sight."

"Absolutely." Lucas said, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the BMW in front of him.

"Do you know if the suspect is armed?"

"I don't know, but I know he's insane enough to use violence. He's been stalking her for a while now, and threatened her by several occasions, so there's no telling what he'll be willing to do to her, or anyone else for that matter."

"Are the victim an acquaintance of the suspect?"

"Yes, they have a history from a year or a year and a half ago I think, and they're working at the same hospital. But I don't have too many details about it, I only know that he used violence back then too, and then disappeared for a while before he came back."

"Okay, may I ask, what's your name, Sir?"

"Lucas Scott. My brother is Nathan Scott."

"Thank you Mr. Scott. I now have conformation that the officers have visual of the BMW, which means you should be able to see them too. I would like to ask you to slow down and let the police take over from here. But please stay mobile and within reach, I'll give the officers your phone number for them to call you when they have the situation under control, okay?"

Lucas inwardly sighed. He didn't want to slow down. He couldn't. But he didn't want to get in trouble either, so he reluctantly released some of the pressure on the gas pedal. "I will. And thanks for your help."

"You're welcome, Mr. Scott."

Lucas sighed again, out loud this time, as the line went silent. Could he trust the police to do their job? To make sure that Haley would be okay? Somehow there was something he simply didn't feel right about, but he didn't know if he should continue to follow them or stop all together. He was torn. He kept the speed somewhat up while trying to decide what to do. He was still close enough to see the cars, which was easier now when he could spot the police car in front of him.

He jumped slightly in his seat when his phone started to ring. He dragged his hand through his hair and took a deep breath before he picked it up and answered.

"Hey you." He sighed relieved, glad to see it was Brooke who was calling. It was too soon for him to talk to Nathan. He wouldn't know what to tell him at this point, so it was probably better that he was still in the air.

"Hi baby. Please tell me you have good news?"

"Well, I have news at least. I just got off the phone with the emergency." He heard Brooke gasp in the other end.

"Oh my god! What happened? Did you find Haley? Is she hurt? Where are you?" Brooke fired the questions in a rambling matter.

"Okay, first of all I'm just outside Ashbrook-Clawson village." Lucas started but got cut off by Brooke.

"What, why?"

"If you'll let me finish, I'll explain it all to you." Lucas chuckled lightly. Patience had never been a quality of Brooke Davis, and this time was not an exception.

"Okay, I'm sorry…please continue." Brooke sighed, feeling the anxiety rise within her.

Lucas continued to tell her everything that had happened without any interruptions from Brooke.

"Oh my God, Luke! I can't believe this!" Brooke exclaimed, slightly shocked by what he'd just told her. "You can't let them out of your sight. You know how much Nathan cares about her, and so do we. Please Luke, you have to make sure she'll be okay." Brooke choked up at the end and felt her eyes well up with tears.

Lucas nodded his head even though she couldn't see him. "I know, I know. I can still see them, and I'm not giving up now, not when I've gotten this far. Besides, Nathan will definitely kick my ass if I he found out that I pulled over." He tried to lighten the mood a little by joking, but he could hear how upset Brooke was on the other end.

He sighed silently to himself. "Try not to worry, okay? Oh hold on…they just got cut off down the road by another police car that came from the opposite direction. Shit." Lucas mumbled and slowed down a little.

"Oh my God! What happened? Did they manage to stop them?" Brooke gasped and held her breath.

"No he turned off onto a side road, but I think this road is a dead end, so he will have to stop eventually."

"Oh, okay. I'll let you concentrate on driving now, I would't want anything to happen to you too. But call me when you know more, okay?"

"I will."

"And please be careful." She added before they both ended the conversation.

* * *

><p>Damian clenched his jaw shut and squeezed the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white. His legs were soaked with vomit which filled the car with the worst smell, and on top of that Haley was groaning and crying in the backseat like a little brat. She had no right to complain, this was all her fault. If she hadn't puked all over him, then he didn't have to slap her, and that guy wouldn't have noticed them, which meant that they would be driving away in piece and quiet to the small place he had set up right outside town.<p>

Instead, he was now being followed by two fucking police cars, in which one of them had forced him into taking off the main road and onto a smaller side road. He had no idea where this road ended or where it lead, but he didn't have much of a choice but to keep going. It was either that or stop and get caught, and that wasn't an option he was very keen on right now.

He felt himself shake with fury, and glared at Haley in the rear view mirror when she let out another sobbing groan.

"You disappoint me, Haley! What the hell happened to you, huh? You used to love me, and now look at you. You're this ungrateful, little whiny bitch. What the hell did that loser do to make you like this?!" He shouted and kept moving his eyes between the road and at her through the mirror.

Haley jumped by his sudden outburst and closed her eyes. Tears were silently running down her cheeks and her head was still throbbing.

She was scared to death by the speed he held and wished that he at least would pay attention to the road instead of looking everywhere else. It felt like he didn't have much of control right now, and with him being unfocused, an accident could easily happen.

She tried to block out his voice and think about other things. Suddenly, she could see his beautiful face, and his sparkling blue eyes smiling back at her. An excruciating pain shot through her chest and it suddenly became very hard to breathe when the thought of never seeing Nathan again slowly surfaced.

Everything hurt right now, and Nathan was the only one who could make her feel better. He always made her feel better. Except that he was not here. He was far away and unaware of where she was and how helpless and scared she was feeling. She tried to hold onto the mental image of his face while she took a few deep breaths.

After a few moments, she managed to calm herself down a little as she kept picturing Nathan in her head. His strong arms holding her close to his body, making her feel safe and loved. That was all she needed.

He was all she needed.

"Look at me! Don't you dare sit there like a fucking mute!"

She jumped again as Damian's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and back to this nightmare that was her reality. She hugged her arms around herself to feel some sort of protection and swallowed hard before she opened her eyes again.

A powerful, cold chill ran down her spine when she met his dark, angry eyes in the rear view mirror, and her entire body trembled with fear.

She didn't want to say anything to him, he didn't deserve anything from her, but the longer she remained silent, the angrier he got. And the thought of him might losing it while he was behind the wheel, which technically made him in charge of her life, she figured she should give him something.

She tried to collect her racing mind and wondered what would be the best way to address him. She figured she could start by talking calmly in an attempt to cool him down a little, because right now, she was really scared of the high speed they were going in. She always hated it when people were speeding, and especially when their focus was elsewhere but the driving.

She took a few, deep, shaking breaths before she found her voice. "What happened to you, Damian? Why did you change?" She was surprised her voice was even loud enough for him to hear what she was saying.

"I didn't change, you did! You just ran away like a scared little puppy the minute things got a little rough." He snapped back.

"You started to hit me, Damian! Did you really think that I was going to tolerate something like that from the man that was supposed to love me?!" Haley reacted in an instant and felt herself starting to shake with anger, and raised her tone. "I never did anything to deserve that kind of treatment from you! _You_ were the one who, out of the fucking blue, turned into a jealous asshole, before _that_ day, when you left me on the floor, bruised and hurt and then _you_ took off." She felt a sting in the back of her neck as she thought back to that day, but quickly shook it off. "This last year has been one of the worst in my life, yet one of the best. Do you want to know why?" She couldn't stop the fury that rushed through her veins, and neither did she want to.

This confrontation was long overdue, and she needed to get this off of her chest, no matter what the outcome of this day would be. She'll be damned to let him know what she'd been going through. All rational thoughts about calming him down was quickly erased with the thundering rage that washed through her body.

"After you disappeared that day, I completely closed myself off from the world. I couldn't stay in my apartment in fear of you showing up again. Everything about that place reminded me of you, and it took me a long time before I was finally able to go back there and actually spend a night." She continued, not bothering to wait for his response.

"I couldn't go outside or go to work without looking over my shoulder every other second, because I knew you were out there. I was nothing but a god damn shadow of myself, Damian! You controlled me even in your absence, and I hated you for that! I hated you for making me insecure about myself and scared of opening up to other people! I was almost sure that you had completely ruined my life. Ruined my chances of having another relationship, of ever finding love again." She paused for a brief second.

"But you know what? It took me a while, but now I've finally been able to get my life back on track. I've finally gotten to experience what true love really is, which made me realize that I never really loved you back then. Cause what I feel now can't even compare to what I thought I felt when I was with you. And don't you think for a second that I'm gonna let you take that away from me. I'm done letting you control my life like that!" She was almost out of breath when she stopped talking, and the silence that quickly spread throughout the car felt like one of those moments right before an impending storm were about to break out.

She chewed nervously on her lip and held her breath.

The longer he stayed silent the more anxious she got, and she had to clench her hands into fists as they were uncontrollably shaking. She moved her eyes to the road in front of them and saw that it was narrowing into something that looked like a small, private road ahead of them.

She heard Damian curse silently to himself as he continuously checked the mirrors to see if he'd been able to lose the police cars that were chasing them. Then he suddenly started to talk, surprisingly calm which made this uneasy feeling to crawl deep under her skin.

"Don't you see that that's exactly what I'm doing now, Haley? I'm in control. And you can try all you want to tell me lies and make me believe that you don't love me, but it doesn't matter because you belong with me, and you always will. You have nowhere to go." His cold, firm voice sent uncomfortable chills up and down her spine as he kept his eyes at her once again.

Haley was about to tell him how delusional he was when her eyes suddenly shot wide open as she saw a sharp turn appearing in front of them. "Look out!" She shrieked and instinctively placed her hand on the back of the front seat.

"Fuck!" Damian cursed out loud and hit the breaks while he desperately tried to keep the car on the road.

That was the last thing Haley remembered before it all went black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; First of all, Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

Second, I'm deeply sorry for the long wait! I suffered from a small writers block, and as you know, school here is always crazy from December till the end of January, and technically it's not over, but I managed to find some time and finally get this chapter done. Thanks for the patience!

So, Lucas almost to the rescue. Damian majorly pissed off. Nathan helpless and worried sick. Haley in nothing but pain. And then it all went black...

I have a feeling that you might not be too pleased with the way I ended this, and I'm sorry about that. But the next chapter will be the last one, so things will be resolved. This time I can actually promise that it won't take so long before I update and give you the final chapter.

Also, if you haven't, check out the newest chapter of mine and Kat's rotating story, Never Let Me Go, which was updated on Kat0507's account a few days ago. The next chapter in that story will be written by me. Not sure yet when that'll be, but stay tuned.

Again, thank you for being patient with me, and thank you for reading and reviewing! It keeps me going even in stressful times!


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer; **I haven't owned anything since I started writing this story, and I still don't after 26 chapters.

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty Six<strong>

"Nathan!" Lucas called out when he saw his brother came running through the doors at the emergency with Jake right behind him. He saw that Nathan's eyes kept wandering franticly around the room until he found the source of the voice that called out his name.

Lucas felt a sting in his chest when he got a look at his brother up close. He looked extremely worried and distraught. His face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles under them, and his hair looked like he'd been running his hand through it one too many times.

"Where is she?" His scratchy and tired voice was tainted with pain and distraction as he approached Lucas, unable to keep his gaze from searching around the room.

"She's um…in the OR." Lucas spoke low and saw Nathan's eyes flicker as they landed back at him.

Nathan swallowed hard and met Lucas' gaze. He could feel his heart in the back of his throat and felt his head started to reel. "How bad is it?" He almost couldn't make himself to ask, but he needed to know.

"I don't know." Lucas sighed. "Everything happened so fast and they wouldn't let me near her once they got her out of the car." He gave him an apologetic look.

Nathan ran a hand through his hair and noticed Jake come up next to him. "Have you heard anything?" He could feel his chest tighten when Lucas gave him a sad look.

"I'm sorry, I haven't."

Nathan closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. All the things that were running through his head right now didn't sit well with him, and he started to feel like the walls were slowly closing in on him.

He opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He blinked quickly when his eyes starting to prickle with tears and turned his head towards the doors that led into the OR when they opened up. He kept his eyes on the surgeon that walked through the doors and felt his heart pound hard against his chest, before disappointment surged through him, as the doctor walked over to another group of people that were waiting in another corner.

"Let's just sit down and wait, okay? There's nothing any of us can do now anyway." Lucas spoke carefully.

Nathan almost couldn't hear what Lucas was saying, his mind was everywhere but here, and he knew he couldn't rest until he knew how she was doing. He looked down at his hands and noticed that they were shaking. He clenched them into fists and raised his gaze back at Lucas. "No, I need to talk to someone." He mumbled distractedly and walked away.

Lucas let out a sigh as Nathan walked over to a nurse and started to ask her about Haley. It pained him to see him like this. If only he would've left earlier for the hospital, or walked outside sooner then he could've stopped them from getting into that car.

"How bad was it?" He heard Jake ask low next to him.

Lucas shook his head softly and tore his eyes away from Nathan's back before he looked at Jake. "It didn't look good, man. He lost control over the car and hit a tree…" Lucas said and tried to will the images of that scene out of his head.

He'd only gotten a glimpse of Haley when they pulled her out of the car and placed her on the stretcher before the ambulance had taken off in a hurry.

The mental images of her limp body covered in blood made him more than a little uneasy and he had to shift his gaze away from Jake.

"Hey, she'll pull through. Haley's tough." Jake placed his hand on Lucas' arm when he saw his eyes started to glisten with tears.

"I seriously don't know if Nathan will ever recover if she doesn't. I've never seen him this broken before." Lucas said and noticed that Nathan walked outside with his head down.

He made a move to go after him, but Jake held him back. "Listen, I'm gonna go get Peyton, but I'll talk to him on my way out." He said and gave him a nod.

"Okay, thanks." Lucas sighed and watched Jake walk after Nathan through the sliding doors of the entrance.

When Jake got outside he spotted Nathan sitting on one of the benches close to the entrance. He walked over slowly and sat down next to him.

Nathan was staring blankly at a small, black box in his hand when he noticed Jake taking a seat at the bench.

Neither of them said anything for a while as they just sat there. Nathan was fiddling with the box and kept fighting back the tears that were constantly threatening to spill out.

"You know…I've, uh…been walking around with this in my pocket ever since I got it in France. And I...uh was planning to ask her to marry me after we got back from this business trip…" Nathan spoke up after a while, his voice clouded with sadness and defeat. "And now I don't even know if she's going to -" His voice cracked as a single tear slipped out of the corner of his eye.

He quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand. "They don't even know if she's going to make it…they couldn't tell me anything, Jake. We were going to get the rest of our lives together, and instead she's in there, fighting for her life…" Nathan closed his eyes when he felt his chest tighten around his heart.

It hurt everywhere.

Jake sighed silently to himself and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Nathan, don't give up on her! Haley is one of the toughest people I know, and she's going to make it so you'll have the rest of your lives together. You've got to have faith that she'll come back to you." He spoke calmly and gently squeezed his shoulder. "I know it's hard knowing that this is completely out of your hands, but I'm sure they have the best surgeons working on her right now, and they will do everything they can to get her out of this, and she will. You just have to believe in that." He added as he watched Nathan shake his head and squeezing the little, black box tight in his hand.

Nathan couldn't find his voice. It was too painful to talk, so he kept silent as flashes of Haley's face kept running through his head. Her beautiful smile and the sound of her wonderful, infectious laughter kept replaying over and over, making his heart constrict to a point where he felt like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't grasp with the idea of never seeing that smile again, or hearing that laugh of hers which always warmed his heart and put a smile on his face. There was no better sound in the entire world. Was he really going to be deprived of that for the rest of his life?

One fatal moment, and she was gone - forever?

He felt anger starting to bubble inside of him when the thought of Damian entered his mind. Was this prick going to be responsible for taking Haley so harshly away from him? He squeezed his hand even tighter around the box and clenched his jaw. The mixed sensations of anger and hurt kept swirling around in a loop, making him dizzy and uneasy.

He was temporarily brought out of his thoughts as Jake's phone started to ring. He heard him answer, but didn't really pay attention to what he was saying. His mind was reeling with all these thoughts, and none of them were of the good kind.

"Nathan? I'm going to go get Peyton now, cause she's been calling me non-stop about needing to be here. But I'll be right back, okay? Just go back inside to Lucas, don't sit here all alone and drown yourself in your thoughts. That's not going to make it any better." He heard Jake speak up.

He nodded his head slowly as he saw Jake get up on his feet, still not trusting his voice to hold if he tried to talk. He remained on the bench for another minute after Jake had left, before he reluctantly got up on his feet, securely placed the box back into his pocket and walked back inside to the room he hated more than anything.

* * *

><p>Nathan felt like he'd been waiting forever, and every time the doors that led into the OR opened up, and a surgeon walked out, he was always met with disappointment when he realized they weren't coming to talk to him. It was pure torture just sitting there. The helplessness he felt by not knowing anything was slowly eating him up inside.<p>

He was also starting to get slightly agitated by all the people and the constant sounds that swirled around him and he suddenly sprung to his feet, unable to sit still for another second. He started to pace while clenching the water bottle, that Lucas had brought him earlier, tight in his hand. He could hear Peyton's sniffles and Jake's soothing voice as he tried to console her, and Lucas whispering low with Brooke that had arrived a few moments earlier. He walked over to a secluded corner of the room and closed his eyes as he faced the wall, breathing deeply in a desperate attempt to control the emotions that were running through him at a furious speed. He placed his casted hand over his pocket and felt the contours of the box through the denim fabric of his jeans. The image of him placing the ring on Haley's finger suddenly appeared in his mind and caused his eyes to fill with water - again.

The pain ripped through his chest by the thought that he might never get the chance of doing that. That his forever with Haley would never happen. That this is how it was going to end.

Once again, anger surfaced within him when Damian entered back into his mind. He swore to himself that he was going to fucking kill him if he ever laid his hands on him. That fucking lunatic was responsible for all of this, and he was going to make sure that he'd pay for the damage he'd done, whether or not Haley made it out of surgery.

He clenched his jaw and tried to breathe deeply, when he suddenly heard Peyton call out his name. He turned around and felt his heart come to a stop when he saw a man in blue scrubs standing close to the doors that led into the surgical area with a serious look on his face. For a split second, he felt completely paralyzed and couldn't seem to move his feet, but when Peyton jumped up on her crutches and hopped towards him, he quickly shook it off and walked hurriedly over to the man that possibly held the answer concerning his future.

"Are you here for Haley James?" The man asked when they both came to stand in front of him.

"Yes, I'm her best friend, and Nathan is her boyfriend." Peyton answered quickly and looked over at Nathan.

"No immediate family members?" He asked.

"No, her parents passed away when she was young, and she's an only child, so no other family members." Peyton spoke low, her eyes already at the brink of tears. "Please just tell me that she's okay." She added and wiped away a tear that had escaped the corner of her eye.

"Miss James had a series of potentially fatal injuries, including head trauma and a ruptured spleen, which caused a great amount of internal bleedings. She also had a dislocation with fracture of her right elbow." He started as he continuously changed his gaze between Peyton and Nathan.

"We were able to stop the bleedings and remove her spleen without any major complications, and she's gotten several units of blood to replace the loss."

Nathan could feel the uneasiness sweep through him as the surgeon spoke about her injuries, he couldn't help but think that there was more to it since he still had a serious look on his face and the way he spoke to them.

"As of right now, we would like to keep her under close monitoring at the ICU due to her head trauma and until we know for sure that her vitals are as stable as possible. The big blow to her head caused a little bleeding and subsequent swelling, but we managed to get it under control and reduce the pressure in her head to a preferable level. However, seeing as her body has suffered a great deal of trauma she'll be kept on a ventilator to help with her breathing until she's strong enough to wake up on her own." He continued to explain.

"Wait, so she's in a coma now? How long will it take for her to wake up?" Nathan asked and felt his head starting to spin.

"Yes, as I was saying, she has been through a lot, not only the accident itself, but the surgery was also a huge strain on her body. And her being in a coma is simply her body's way of saying that she needs to rest as much as possible in order to be able to recover from all of this. I'm afraid that, as of right now, I can't really tell you how long it'll take before she wakes up. It can be anything from a day to several weeks, but it all depends on how fast her body can re-gain some of the strength. Just remember that the coma does not necessarily have to be a bad thing, it'll help her heal faster and we'll make sure to continuously run tests to make sure that she's heading in the right direction." He explained calmly.

Nathan swallowed and moved his gaze to Peyton, who had tears running down her cheeks. "But she's going to be okay, right? She's going to wake up?" His voice sounded weak as he looked over at the doctor again.

"I can't really tell you right now whether she's going to be fine or not, but we will run another head CT first thing tomorrow morning to check and see if the swelling continues to go down. The only thing we can do right now is to keep her under monitoring and make sure she gets enough rest." He ran a tired hand over his neck and took a deep breath. "As for the baby -" He started, but quickly got cut off by Peyton.

"Baby? Is she pregnant?" She asked and covered her mouth with her hand. She turned her head and looked at Nathan who stared blankly ahead of him with a shocked expression on his face. He clearly didn't know, and neither did she.

"Yes, she's pregnant, which is why this surgery took longer than we expected. However, I'm not sure how much damage this may have caused to the baby, or if there has been any damage at all, but we're waiting for the OB/Gyn to run a few tests, now that she's out of the surgery."

"Oh, my God." Peyton whispered and put her hand on Nathan's arm.

Nathan didn't know what to say. His head was a complete mess, and he couldn't straighten out his thoughts. This was a lot to take in, with Haley's injuries and now all of a sudden the baby. She was pregnant. With his baby. She had a life growing inside of her, and they weren't even sure if she was going to make it, or if the baby was going to make it.

His hands started to shake when he felt Peyton's hand on his arm. He tried to speak, but had to stop himself and swallow because his mouth suddenly felt far too dry.

"Nathan…" Peyton spoke low to get his attention.

He moved his eyes to Peyton before he shifted his gaze to the doctor. "I uh…wow, I don't know what…" He tried to collect his reeling thoughts so that he could actually form a complete sentence.

"Do you know how far along she is?" He asked as that was the only thing he could come up with right now.

"According to the blood works, it looks like she's about 4 weeks pregnant. But I'm sure the obstetrician will be able to give you more details on that when all the test results are out. I'm sorry that I can't give you any other answers right now, but if you'd like, I can have a nurse take you in to see her now. However, we can only allow one person at the time." He finished and gently patted his shoulder.

"Okay, thanks doctor." Nathan nodded his head and watched the doctor turn around and walk back in through the sliding doors.

He took a step back and let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. He couldn't focus on anything. Now, all of a sudden, he didn't only have one life to worry about, but two. In a matter of seconds, his life had completely changed from being a total mess to a point in which he couldn't even comprehend at the moment.

He was pulled out of his myriad of thoughts when a nurse came up to him and asked him to follow her. He quickly glanced at Peyton, who nodded her head at him with tearful eyes, before he followed the older woman through the tinted glass doors.

* * *

><p>Nathan was finally getting a moment alone with Haley. During the first 30 minutes he'd been there, doctors and nurses had been running around checking her vitals and several other tests had been done. He'd also gotten a more thorough explanation about her condition, and what he might do in order to maybe help the process of her recovery. He was still waiting to hear about the baby.<p>

He let his eyes run over her body. She looked completely broken with the white bandage around her head, the bruises and scratches on her face, and her right arm that was casted and secured tightly to her body in a sling. The only thing he thought of as positive, was that it didn't seem like she was in any pain at the moment.

It hurt to see her like this. She was usually so full of life, and most of the time with a smile plastered on her face. But it was like she wasn't even here right now. A lightning of pain ripped through his body when his eyes landed on the tube that was coming out of her mouth. He could see her chest rising and falling synchronously with the sounds coming from the machine.

He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her bed. He sighed heavily and ran a shaking hand through his hair. He honestly didn't know what to do, or what to say. Could she even hear him?

He scooted closer to the bed and took a hold of her hand that laid on the side of her body. He squeezed it tight in his hand before he lifted it and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. He turned his head and held her hand close to his cheek and felt waves of tears press hard behind his eyelids as he closed them. He sat like that for a while and let the tears run slowly down his cheeks. The feeling of the soft skin of her hand against his cheek was the only thing he could focus on. Everything else was nothing but a blur, and he knew that if he let the madness of thoughts control him, then he was definitely going to get sick. He had to be strong for her. She needed him. And he needed her, so he simply had to shut everything else out and put all his focus on getting her back to him. Nothing else mattered.

Nathan didn't know how long he'd been letting the tears fall, but eventually he pried her hand away from his cheek and placed it down on the bed, after giving it another kiss - his hand still enclosing hers.

"Hey baby…" He started, the broken tone of his voice cut through the sounds of the beeping machines. "You know how you told me that you're not going anywhere? Well, I need to hold you to that right now, okay?" He sniffled and let his eyes linger on her face. She was still the most beautiful woman, even with all the bruises and the scratches covering most of her tiny face. "Just… I need you to come back to me." He moved his free hand over to her hand which was laid in his and carefully stroked his fingertips across her skin. "Listen, just…move one of your fingers if you can hear me, okay? Just move one of those beautiful fingers and let me know that you're still here with me." He choked out as a fresh set of tears sprung out from his eyes.

He kept his eyes on her hand for a minute with the hope that she might've heard him. After a while, when he gathered that she wasn't going to move her fingers, he slowly got up from his chair, before he leaned down and touched his lips against her forehead, right below the lining of the bandage. He pulled back a few inches and let his eyes wander across her face.

"I'm here for you, Hales. For as long as it takes for you to wake up, I'm here. And I'm never giving up on you. Not now, and not ever." He whispered softly before he slowly walked out to let Peyton get some time with her.

* * *

><p><em>Nathan smiled lazily to himself as he felt her silky-soft, warm hands run across his back and stop at the nape of his neck. She let her fingers play with the short hair, before she raked her hand along his head, pressuring her blunt finger nails into his scalp as she did.<em>

_"Mmm, I love it when you do that." He mumbled almost inaudible, and heard her soft giggles in response._

_"I also love the sound of your laugh." He said smiling and reached behind himself to catch her arm, before he flipped her down onto the mattress next to him._

_He raised himself up and leaned on his elbow while hovering his upper body above her. Her hand already on its way up his arm and heading for his face, with one of her angelic smiles spread across her beautiful features. When her hand landed on his cheek, he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. Savoring the feeling of having her so close, the way she touched him, and the way she made him feel. He wanted to feel like this forever. He never wanted her to go away. She was the only one that could make him feel like this._

_He opened his eyes slowly and found her big, brown eyes watching him, still with that breathtaking smile plastered all over her face._

_He connected his gaze with hers, and looked deeply into her eyes. He moved his hand to her forehead and wiped away a strand of hair that almost fell into her eye._

_"Please tell me that you're not going anywhere. That you'll never leave me." He spoke low, feeling slightly panicked as the thought of not spending the rest of his life with her, entered his mind. He just needed to hear it from her. She always made him feel at ease, and he simply needed to hear the words from her, even though she'd told him a million times before, he could never get enough of it._

_"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered softly and stroked her thumb across his cheekbone, before she leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth._

_He followed her back down, and buried his face into the crook of her neck, breathing her in while hugging her tightly - afraid that she might slip away from him._

_When he raised his head again, he was suddenly met with her banged up and bloody face. Her smile had disappeared, and all that was left were those horrible bruises and cuts._

_He started to shake her lifeless body as panic and fear raised within him in a dangerously fast speed._

_"Haley!" He shouted while trying to get her back to him by furiously shaking her tiny, limp body. He could still hear her previous words echoing in the back of his head, while desperately shouting her name out loud._

_"Haley, please don't do this to me. I need you, baby…" He started to sob and lifted her upper half of her body into his and hugged her tightly, as if squeezing her tight enough would get her back to him._

_Then suddenly, the even, loud sound from the heart monitor, indicating a flat line, was all he could hear. Haley's body was suddenly gone, and he was all alone in that hospital room, with the sound that cut through his bones and all the way into his very core._

_He fell to his knees right next to the bed where she had been lying, grasping the sheets into a fist._

_Weakness, helplessness and emptiness._

_He simply broke down into tears, as the most excruciating pain he'd ever felt ripped through his chest and tore his heart into a million pieces._

Nathan shot his eyes open. His body was covered in sweat and his pulse was running a mile a minute. He rolled over on his side and stretched out his hand, only to find nothing but cold sheets and an empty side. He let out a frustrated sigh and slowly rolled back before he sat up at the edge of the bed. After letting his gaze wander around the room for a few minutes, he suddenly remembered where he was and let out another sigh, once he was able to shake the sleep and that horrible dream off his body.

It was already 3 months after the accident, and he still had nightmares about it. He hadn't had a good nights sleep since that day, and he doubted that that was going to change anytime soon. Everything concerning that day and the days that followed were still fresh in the back of his mind, like it had been yesterday.

He got up and walked over to the large window of his hotel room. He raked his hand through his hair and sighed heavily. He turned his head and saw that it was almost time for him to head to the airport, so he figured that he might as well hop into the shower and let the water clear his head a little. After all, this was going to be a long day, and he couldn't afford to let his mind control him while he was on the clock, no matter how difficult it was to block it all out. He had to get over this at some point so he could continue his life in a normal way as possible.

He couldn't help but think though, that during this hell that he'd been through, God had actually granted him with somewhat of a justice, as that psychopath had been confirmed brain dead shortly after the accident and therefore been taken off life support the following days. Even though he would've loved to take the matter into his own hands, he was still glad that he didn't have to fear running into him, with only to end up spending the rest of his life behind bars for murder.

No, this was definitely a good thing. He still had many years ahead of himself, and it would've been sad to spend all of them locked up without seeing his family and friends. No matter what, the world would always be a better place without Damian West - end of story.

* * *

><p>It was dark and quiet. Nathan had just entered the house, and it was almost one in the morning. He closed and locked the door behind him and walked over to the stairs, too tired to even bothering to take a de-tour through the kitchen, like he usually did.<p>

This day had been the day from hell. He felt like there was always someone asking him about something, or needing something from him. Apart from being in the air most part of the day, he'd also been talking on the phone pretty much non-stop since he'd checked out from the hotel early this morning.

He let out a yawn as he entered the bedroom, and dropped the bag on the floor next to the door. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge to untie his shoes, yawning again as he did.

It had been a while since he was this tired, and he was seriously ready to pass out at any second now. He didn't even know if he could manage to stay awake long enough to take that hot shower he'd been looking forward to all night. He was completely exhausted. He kicked off his shoes once he'd untied them and straightened himself up to remove the tie and unbutton his shirt.

A weak, tired smile slowly formed at the corner of his mouth, when he heard a content sigh behind him. He scooted over and turned his body so he was facing her.

"Go back to sleep, baby. I didn't mean to wake you." Nathan whispered and ran his knuckles gently over her cheek.

"Nathan, is that you?" Her tired, scratchy voice cut through the darkness as she rolled over onto her back so she could see him.

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry I'm so late, but there was a last minute thing I had to take care of before I could call it a day." He explained and gave her a soft smile, even though the room was pretty dark and he doubted that she could actually see it.

"It's okay, I'm just glad you're home again. I missed you." She spoke softly and found his hand. "Actually, _we_ missed you." She added and brought their joined hands to her growing belly.

Nathan suddenly felt the tension he'd been having all day evaporate from his body, and it was all because of the woman laying in front of him, resting his hand on top of her belly, close to their baby. Their little miracle.

Even though he still had nightmares about the day of the accident, he couldn't really complain. It was almost worth it as long as he had the privilege of waking up and falling asleep next to this woman, almost every single day, for the rest of his life.

His mind quickly scurried back to the day when he'd gotten that phone call he'd been waiting for for almost 2 weeks. The worst 2 weeks of his life. 2 weeks of not knowing. 2 weeks of constant fright, pain, worry and endless tears.

He could still feel the way he felt back then every time he thought about it. That single moment when he'd stepped into the room and was met with a pair of big, brown, amazingly beautiful eyes. He would never forget that moment, and he would never forget that feeling. How weak he'd felt, as he was finally letting out every single emotion that had built within him, yet at the same time, the amount of strength that had rushed through him. His girl was finally out of coma, and she was going to be okay.

And on top of that, just to make his life even more perfect, their baby was going to be okay. The accident hadn't caused any harm to the fetus, and they were told that there was no reason to think that this baby wouldn't develop normally and turn out to be perfectly normal.

"Do you remember what day it is tomorrow?" Haley whispered and squeezed his hand softly after noticing Nathan disappearing deep into his thoughts.

"Of course I remember. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Nathan smiled at her before he leaned down and placed a soft kiss at her forehead.

"Since you actually managed to wake me up a little, I'm going to take a quick shower before I come back to bed." Nathan then said after he pulled back. "I think I'm pretty stinky right now." He added and made a face as he looked down at himself.

Haley grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him close enough for her to reach his lips. She kissed him softly for a few seconds and then pulled back slightly. "Actually, I think you smell amazing, you always do." She smiled. "But it still doesn't hurt to clean yourself up a little." She added jokingly and started to giggle when she saw the expression on Nathan's face. "Besides, you have to help me up here. Seeing as you woke me up, I actually have to pee, and since you're going in there anyway…" She smiled sweetly and looked at him with puppy dog eyes while she held out her hand.

Nathan chuckled and shook his head lightly. "Okay, come here you goof." He said and helped her up in a sitting position. He popped a small kiss at the side of her head, before he walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open for her.

"Oh, and before I forget. I have something I want to talk to you about when I get out of the shower." He called out to her as he stepped under the hot water.

"Okay. Well, hurry up then, before I fall back asleep. You know how unstable I am nowadays, so I can't promise anything." Haley called back before she went back to bed with a smile on her face.

Now that Nathan was home again, she could relax and lower her shoulders completely. Not that she had any problems with him working and being away so often, because she also worked a lot, but just knowing that he was here, and that she would wake up in his arms tomorrow morning, made her feel secure and completely at ease.

They had been through a lot, but right now, she could honestly say that it was all worth it - no matter how weird that sounded - because it brought her here. She had never been so happy as she was right now, and it was all because of Nathan and the tiny life that was growing inside of her. She couldn't ask for more, nor did she need to.

* * *

><p>Haley let her gaze slowly wander around as she walked along the tiny path, squeezing Nathan's hand tight. She was slightly nervous, but also very excited about bringing Nathan here.<p>

She could also feel the butterflies swirl around in her stomach after what had happened last night and earlier this morning. She bit her lip and looked up at Nathan who turned his head and met her eyes when he noticed that she was watching him.

She sent him a smile which was immediately returned along with a gentle squeeze of her hand, before he laced their fingers.

She suddenly halted and put her hand on Nathan's chest.

"What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

Haley looked down at the ground for a second before she looked back at him, her lower lip tucked between her teeth. "I'm sorry I haven't brought you here earlier, Nathan. I just-" She wanted to apologize to him that it had taken her so long, but she soon got cut off by Nathan when he put his index finger over her lips.

"Hales…" He moved his finger across her lower lip and down to her chin so he could tilt her head up and look directly into her gorgeous eyes. "Ever since I met you, you've been through so much - so much more than anyone should ever have to go through in a lifetime. Yet, here you are, worrying about me." He paused to take a breath when he felt his heart pound hard against his chest. "You have no idea how much I love you for that, but you don't ever have to apologize for this. You needed time to let all of this settle and more importantly, recover from the traumatic experience he put you through. It makes me happy that you're finally strong enough to bring me here, but I want you to know that I would've waited for as long as you would've needed to get ready for this. You made it here today - all by yourself, and I'm so incredibly proud of you and amazed by the amount of strength you have shown through everything. We're here now, and finally able to leave the past behind us - that's all that matters." He spoke softly and smiled at her.

Haley swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of her throat and fought back the tears that threatened to spill out from her eyes. She closed her eyes briefly when the magnitude of his words stroke the strings of her heart, making her chest ache with love. Now was not the time to analyze why she was so lucky to have this man by her side, because if she did, she wouldn't be able to go through this without turning into an emotional basket case, especially with the constant turnover of hormones her body was currently providing her.

She fluttered her eyes open and found his sparkling, blue eyes smiling back at her. The intensity of his gaze had tingles shoot up and down her spine, and she knew her voice wouldn't hold right now, so she brought her hand to his and held it close to her mouth before leaving a small kiss on his knuckles - her tear filled eyes never leaving his. She intertwined their fingers and brought their hands down in between them and gave him another look that said more than a thousand words, before she turned and started to walk them slowly towards their destination.

When they arrived, she stopped and glanced down as she breathed in deeply. Coming here always made her heart ache, but having Nathan by her side made her feel so much stronger and she realized that she was slowly coming to accept that she could still be happy even though her parents weren't here with her. She knew that they would always be with her in spirit and in her heart, and she knew that they would've wanted her to continue her life and be happy.

"Hi mom. Hi dad." She started and let her eyes rest at the headstone in front of her. "I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while, …everything has been a complete chaos these last 6 months, but I'm sure you already knew that…" She paused and felt Nathan give her a comforting squeeze of her hand, boosting her strength to continue. "It's been one of the worst times of my life, and there were so many times when I wished that you could've be here with me. I miss you so much..." She paused and sniffled a couple of times and wiped her cheeks. "But no matter how weird it might sound, this has also been one of the best times of my life." A single tear escaped the corner of her eye and rolled slowly down her cheek.

She felt Nathan leave a kiss at the top of her head and she looked up at him and smiled.

"One of the reasons to why I came out here now, is because I want you guys to meet someone. Two people, actually." She tucked her lip between her teeth before she turned her gaze back at the headstone. "This is Nathan, my best friend, my savior and the love of my life." She whispered and looped her free hand around Nathan's arm and rested her head against his shoulder. "I wouldn't be here right now, if it weren't for him. He's been everything, and he is everything to me." Nathan let her continue to talk. He simply leaned his cheek at the top of her head while he listened to her soft voice. "And this…" She moved one of her hands to her protruding belly before she continued. "…is your granddaughter, Lydia." A huge grin spread across her face when she felt her little baby girl start to stir by the mention of her name.

Last night after Nathan had finished his shower, he'd told her that he had been thinking about names for their baby. She had literally broken into tears when he'd told her that he wanted to name their baby after her parents. James for a boy, and Lydia for a girl. And after their doctor appointment earlier today, they had finally been able to set the name, as the doctor had happily told them that they were having a girl.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. James. I want you to know that I feel beyond blessed to have been so lucky to meet your wonderful daughter. I know she always says that I'm the one who saves her, but the fact is that she's been saving me too. With the way she handle the things that comes along, the way she let her heart speak and the way she embraces the people around her with an enormous kindness. I get to see and feel that every single day, and for every single moment I get to spend with her, the love I have for her only continue to grow, simply because of the strength of her beautiful soul that she has opened up to me."

Haley couldn't stop the tears from falling and snuggled her face into his chest, while she listened to Nathan speak softly to her parents.

"And I know what you might think, Mr. James. Having a baby out of wedlock is probably something you wouldn't approve of, but I want you to know that I have in fact popped the question, so we are engaged to be married, but we-ouch." Nathan exclaimed when Haley elbowed him in the side.

"Nathan, be serious." Haley rolled her eyes, and let out a tiny giggle.

"What? They have the right to know that I'm not just going to knock you up and then leave you high and dry. I'm in for the long haul here, Hales." He continued the light, teasing tone and chuckled down at her.

"Well, aren't you just a big ball of fun today." She said and playfully narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm always funny, babe." He winked at her and popped a kiss at the tip of her nose.

"Whatever you say." She shoved him lightly in the shoulder and smiled in amusement.

Nathan let out another chuckle and snaked his arms around her waist. He held her gaze and started to talk with a more serious tone. "I promise I'm going to take good care of your daughter…and your granddaughter." He paused and grinned by the thought of their little girl. "You don't ever have to worry about that…and, umm it looks like I'll have to start by taking her home right now and feed her." He smirked and chuckled when he heard Haley's stomach growl.

Haley ducked her head into his chest and groaned. "Oh God…" She chuckled and felt her cheeks heat up.

She pulled back and gave Nathan an embarrassing look. "Fine, so I'm a little hungry, but it's not my fault, it's the little one that keeps depriving me of nutrients. I'm telling you, I think she's going to inherit your eating habits." She joked and poked his chest. "But you're right, let's go before I turn cranky." She winked before she turned around and faced the headstone.

"I miss you and I love you, mom and dad. See you again soon." She said and gently touched the headstone, before she found Nathan's hand and started to walk them slowly towards the car.

* * *

><p>Haley clutched the covers close to her naked chest so it wouldn't fall off, as she tip toed into the kitchen. She hadn't been able to fall back asleep after she'd woken up to find Nathan's side of the bed empty, so she was now on a mission to find him and get him back to bed.<p>

She found him standing in front of the door that led out to the backyard, his back was facing her, and she suddenly got a flashback from the first time she had found him standing there. It was the morning after their first date, and she remembered how she'd felt back then when she saw him standing there. It was the exact same, warm, gushy feeling she got when she saw him now, which made her realize that she'd always loved him. She had loved him ever since the first time she'd laid her eyes at him.

She smiled to herself as she closed the distance between them and placed her free hand at the warm skin of his back. She let her hand slide down and rest on his lower back while she moved to his side and leaned her head against his arm. "Come back to bed, baby." She whispered and moved her fingers lightly across the skin of his back.

"Hmm?" Nathan snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at her.

Haley tilted her head and immediately got a little worried when she saw the look in his eyes. "What's wrong, Nathan?" She asked and stroked her hand around in big circles on his back to make him ease up a little.

Nathan twisted around so he was face to face with Haley, and placed his hands on her upper arms, caressing her skin so softly with his fingers.

"I meant what I said, you know." His deep voice finally broke the silence that had been building between them as they both tended to drown in each others eyes.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked and clutched the covers even harder in her fist.

"What I said earlier today with your parents." He paused for a second before he continued. "I'm in this for the long haul. And I will be, always and forever." His eyes were like an open book, and Haley felt like she could see into his very soul.

The seriousness of his tone and the way he said those words sent shivers up and down her back.

"Nathan, do you remember the first time I found you standing here?" She asked and looked away for a few seconds, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed of what she had let herself do on their first date, but quickly shook it off.

"Yes, I do." Nathan said and directed her gaze back to him with his index finger under her chin.

"And do you remember what I told you then?" She held his gaze and bit down on her lip.

Nathan closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to that morning.

_"Morning," She whispered into his skin._

_Nathan jumped a little at her touch and got chills from her warm breath against his skin. He turned around, her arms still encircling his waist._

_"Morning beautiful," His face was beaming as he looked into her eyes. He smirked when he saw she was wearing his grey Stanford t-shirt he'd stolen from Lucas._

_He cupped her cheek and leaned down to kiss her. "Where were you? I thought you'd left." He lingered right in front of her mouth, "But I'm glad you didn't…" Nathan barley whispered before connecting their lips._

_Haley dipped the tip of her fingers right beneath the elastic band of his boxers, and traced them around to his stomach and stopped at the line of hair just below his belly button. She stroked her knuckles up and down at the area right above the lining of his boxer. The action made a small groan escape Nathan's throat, and his chest started to hammer wildly._

_"Mmm," Haley smiled against his lips. She loved how firm, yet soft his skin felt. She couldn't get enough of touching him. "Thank you for an amazing night by the way."_

_They looked into each others eyes as Nathan rested his forehead against Haley's and stroked his hands up and down her arms._

_"I think you've got me under some kind of spell, because it already seems like I can't get enough of you." Nathan confessed, his eyes showed nothing but honesty and a hint of vulnerability._

_Haley closed her eyes for a moment and smiled. She opened her eyes and looked deep into Nathan's. Her face turned more serious. "I think we're breathing the same air Nathan." She replied in a low voice._

Nathan suddenly started to smile and opened his eyes again when the memory of that morning had played over in his head.

He met Haley's sparkling eyes and he couldn't contain the grin that spread across his features as he looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

"Despite of all the obstacles life might have thrown our way between now and then, and no matter how bad it may have seemed from time to time, don't ever doubt that what I said that morning has never changed, nor will it ever change in the future." She whispered with a tear in her eye, before she leaned in and placed a soft, lingering kiss at the exposed skin of his well defined chest. "Thank you for never giving up on me, Nathan. I love you with all my heart." She whsipered softly into his skin.

Nathan could almost feel his own tears forming in his eyes, and took a hold of Haley's chin before he leaned down slowly. "God, I love you Haley." He whispered quietly before he found her lips in a soft kiss, filled with promises and a love that was going to last - always and forever.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; Well, that's that. Kind of weird and a little sad that this was the last one of my first story. I know most (or all) of you love a happy ending, and so do I, but I hope the end wasn't too cheesy or fluffy...just couldn't help myself...lol

I want to thank every single one of you that has read, reviewed, favorited etc - I really, really appreciate it! You guys rock!  
>Also, I actually have an idea for a new story floating around in my head, but I have no idea when I'll be able to start that story. First, I'm going to focus on the next chapter of Never Let Me Go. Then let's see what else I can get done during the upcoming spring semester.<p>

Again, thank you so much for following this story!

xoxo


	27. Epilogue

Disclaimer; I do not own anything

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

Haley let out a stated sigh as she walked down the long corridor holding the phone against her ear. "I told you to get the labs for his creatinine and GFR levels hours ago." She rolled her eyes as the intern in the other end started to make excuses. "Well, you know very well that I can't send this patient to a CT scan without knowing the state of his kidney function, so I suggest you drop whatever you're doing right now and get to it! I'd like to be home at a reasonable hour today." She ordered in a firm tone. "And call me the second you have the results." She added quickly before she hung up, shaking her head softly to herself.

She blew out a long breath as she slumped down in one of the chairs in the lounge, putting her feet up on the table in front of her. Today was just not her day. She had already been exhausted before she came to work due to lack of sleep, and it didn't exactly help the matter when her intern had to have everything in with a teaspoon before things got done. She simply didn't have the energy for that today and felt the irritation seep throughout her body by the thought. She let her head fall back as she closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself by taking a few deep breaths. She knew she wasn't helping herself by getting agitated, but it was difficult to control sometimes, especially on days like today when all she really wanted was to stay home snuggled up under a blanket.

These last few weeks had been stressful to say the least, both at work and at home. She hadn't been sleeping very well either due to obvious reasons, so she really looked forward to a few days off after today. She checked the time and noticed it was only a couple of more hours before she could finally head home. Unless the intern screwed up the labs once again, so she'd end up having to do it herself. But she silently prayed that he'd come through for her this time, because she couldn't afford to waste any extra time after hours. She needed to be at the daycare center today. She felt slightly guilty after she'd been taking advantage of Brooke and Lucas the last couple of days due to too many hours of working overtime this week. Of course they told her repeatedly that they didn't mind helping her out, but they were starting to express their concerns about her exhausting herself. And she understood where they were coming from. She knew she had to start slowing down a little, because her body was slowly starting to tell her that it couldn't keep up with the rate she was going at now for much longer, something she'd definitely felt throughout this last week.

She raked her hand through her now golden locks when her phone started to ring and straightened up in her seat before answering. "Okay, great. I'll let the radiologists know. Thanks, Otis." Haley sighed with relief before she quickly made the call down to the radiologists to give them the message.

Once she'd made the call she got up on her feet and walked out of the lounge to finish the last thing she knew she needed to do today before she could go home. Thankfully, this was not work related and it was something she wasn't depended on any of her interns to get done, so she knew it wouldn't take too long to get out of the way once she got there. And for the first time today, a tiny smile formed on her lips as she walked towards the elevators that was gonna take her to the fifth floor.

* * *

><p>"Is there anything else you need me to do before I take off?" Haley heard coming from the living room. And just as she looked up from what she was doing, she saw Joan rounding the corner and entering the kitchen with a smile.<p>

Haley returned the smile to the younger woman and shook her head softly. "No, thank you, Joan. I think I have everything under control right now. You go home and relax."

"I don't mind staying a little longer and help you out until - " Joan started but Haley cut her off.

"No, I don't want to deprive any more of your time. I feel bad enough as it is with the long hours I've had at work this week, and I can't thank you enough for all the help you've offered. Please go home now. You deserve some time away from this mad house." Haley spoke softly with a smile and walked around the kitchen counter when she heard Lydia calling out for her from the living room.

Joan let out a small laugh at that. "Well, if you're absolutely sure…?" She knew how stressed and tired Haley had been these last few weeks and knew she didn't like to ask for any more help than necessary - even though she needed it. So she felt the need to double check and make sure that Haley really was okay with her leaving for the weekend.

"I'm positive." Haley came up next to her and put her hand on her arm. "Go enjoy the weekend with your boyfriend, I'm sure he'll be pleased to have you to himself for more than a few hours of the day." She smiled at her before she suddenly turned her gaze towards the living room as Lydia once again called out for her.

"Mommy!"

"I'll be right there, sweetie." She called out before turning to face Joan again. "Go home. We'll be fine, I promise." She patted her shoulder lightly.

"Okay. Thanks, Haley. I'll see you over the weekend." Joan offered another smile before she left.

Haley then walked into the living room to find Lydia on the floor next to her brother, trying to push him away as he was grasping onto her hair.

"Ooww, it hurts!" Lydia cried again.

Haley walked over to them and squatted down to try and separate the two before it turned into an even bigger screaming match. "Here, let go of your sisters hair now." She spoke softly as she loosened his grip around her hair and lifted him up in her arms.

"Mommy, Jamie is being dumb. He ruins my braid." The three year old pouted, with thick tears forming in her eyes.

"No name-calling in this house, young lady!" She scolded her firmly before she turned into a softer tone. "You have to remember that he's not old enough yet to understand that what he does is wrong. He doesn't mean anything by it, sweetie. Just like you didn't mean anything by it when you pulled at my hair when you were his age." She smiled amusingly down at her while gently swaying her body to keep Jamie from squirming in her arms.

"No-uh, did not." Lydia shook her head in protest when her mother told her that she used to do the same thing as her brother were doing to her now.

"It's okay, because eventually you learned that you shouldn't do that, just like Jamie will learn one day that it's not okay to pull at someone's hair like that." Haley inwardly smiled when she saw her daughters puzzled look on her face as she spoke, which quickly turned into another pout when she took a hold of her messed up braid.

"It's broken, Mommy."

"Come with me into the kitchen, and I'll make you a brand new braid, okay?"

The three year old nodded feverishly and broke into a huge grin as she flew onto her feet and ran off to the kitchen.

"She really is something that sister of yours, isn't she Jamie?" Haley couldn't help but laugh as she poked his tummy and got a squeal followed by a tiny laugh in response from her son. She tickled him again and popped a kiss on his chubby cheek, as she followed her daughter into the kitchen while thinking that no other sound in the world were able to warm her heart more than the sounds of happy laughter from her children.

A little while later Haley was back at chopping vegetables, while Lydia was back playing with her toys in the living room. She'd put Jamie into his playpen in an effort to try and prevent another hair-pulling disaster before she was done making them dinner. She'd soon realized that it was harder for her to keep up with the two of them now that Jamie had started to get the hang of crawling, so he was usually quick to approach his sister whenever she was around. And like any other baby, he was very fond of pulling at loose things, meaning Lydia's hair was always a target for the curious little man.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she failed to hear the front door open and close. It wasn't until she felt a pair of hands wrap around her from behind, making her almost jump out of her own skin, she realized that they weren't alone anymore.

"Hi, baby." His husky whisper combined with the feeling of his hands on her stomach sent tingles throughout her entire body.

She immediately let go of the knife in her hand and leaned back into his chest while covering his hands with her own. "Hi." She breathed out and closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of being in his strong embrace again. "I've missed you." She stated while stroking her fingers over his hands and wrists.

She felt him nuzzle into her neck before leaving a kiss right under her ear. "I've missed you too." He murmured into her skin, making her shiver as his hot breath fanned out on her neck.

Haley turned around in his arms and smiled lovingly as she met his sparkling, blue eyes. "It's good to have you home again." She whispered as she leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

Nathan sighed contentedly and kissed her one more time before they pulled apart. He'd missed her like crazy and feeling her soft lips against his own now, only confirmed exactly how much pain he'd been in these last couple of weeks away from her.

Once they finally broke away from each other, Haley was the one to let out a small sigh of content.

"It's good to be home again. I've been crazy missing you and the kids." Nathan said before he lowered his gaze to her stomach where he still kept his hands. "How's this one doing?" He asked with a smile as he met Haley's gaze again.

Haley bit her lip and felt her insides flutter with excitement when her thoughts went back to earlier today. She'd been to her Ob/Gyn doctor for a routine appointment and at the same time she'd done an ultrasound, in which she'd found out their baby's sex. They had discussed it earlier, and they decided that they wanted to know the sex of the baby, like they had with the previous pregnancies. She was, of course, a little sad that Nathan couldn't come with her today, but she was happy to learn that their baby was doing well and everything seemed to develop according to the normal curve.

Haley placed her hands on top of Nathan's before she connected their gazes once again. "Well, _he_ is doing just fine." She grinned, unable to contain the joy she felt of carrying another Scott boy into this world.

Nathan's face lit up with the biggest grin by hearing the news of his second son. "Really? I mean, are you sure?" One could never be too sure about these ultrasounds. He'd heard of several instances where people had been told that they were having a girl, then gotten the surprise of their lives in the delivery room when the doctor had handed them a boy. Of course, he didn't care what sex their baby was, as long as the baby was healthy with ten fingers and ten toes. He already loved the little one with all his heart, just as much as he loved Lydia and Jamie. He only wanted to make sure, so they could start with the preparations and finding names.

"Oh, trust me Nathan, I'm sure. I saw it with my own eyes." Haley chuckled when she thought back to that moment when she saw her baby's scrotum. There was no way to mistake that.

"That's great, baby!" He grinned and moved his hands to cup her face before he claimed her lips in a deep kiss.

It didn't take many seconds until Haley elicited a moan into his mouth and snaked her arms around his neck. She would have preferred to get even closer to him, however, their slowly, but surly growing son made sure that that wouldn't happen for at least another few months.

She soon felt her body start to buzz with an intense need of her husband, and she almost forgot about the kids in the living room until she heard a weary cry from the youngest one. She couldn't help but groan when Nathan pulled away, but it was simply because she'd been without him for more than 2 weeks now, and a woman at her age and in her condition had needs.

Nathan chuckled lightly at Haley's antics and popped a kiss at her forehead. "To be continued later tonight." His husky whisper sent another jolt of tingles up and down her spine. "I promise." He added before he walked into the living room to greet their children.

Haley watched him walk away with longing in her eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm herself down a little once he rounded the corner and disappeared from her sight. God, she couldn't wait to get her sexy husband all by herself later tonight, she thought with a smile as she continued making the dinner.

* * *

><p>Nathan descended the stairs after successfully putting Jamie to bed. It hadn't been easy at first, but eventually he'd worn himself out and succumbed his tiny body to the exhaustion of all the crying and fell into a deep sleep.<p>

He walked slowly into the living room to find his girls cuddled up on the couch under a blanket, the sound of Lydia's soft giggles filled the room.

He walked around and sat down next to Lydia, so she was squeezed between her parents. "What are you two up to?" He asked amusingly when Lydia almost jumped in her seat and let out another giggle.

"Daddy, Daddy, I can feel it!" She exclaimed excitedly causing Haley to chuckle.

"Feel what?" He asked her and played along, even though he understood what she was talking about.

"The baby, Daddy!" She stated like he'd asked the most ridiculous question there ever was.

"Oh, that is really cool." He chuckled and scooted closer into Lydia. "Can I feel too?" He asked her as he held out his hand.

Lydia then took a hold of his hand and placed it on Haley's belly where her own hand had been. "Okay, Daddy."

Nathan moved his gaze over to Haley and saw her smiling back at him. He returned the smile as he felt Lydia press his hand firmly onto the area where she had felt the baby kick. "Can you feel, Daddy?" She asked and looked up at him with excitement.

"I don't know, Lydia. Maybe he's getting tired?" He said after a few more seconds when he still hadn't felt anything.

"Yeah, I think he settled down now, Lydia." Haley applied as she tried another nudge on the side of her belly.

"But why?" She asked, confused as to why he would suddenly just stop.

"It's getting late, sweetheart, and I think he just wants to sleep now, just like Jamie." Haley said and stroked her hair. "It's been a long day for all of us, so I think it's time for you to change into your pajamas and find your bear upstairs." She added and immediately got a pout in response from Lydia.

"No!" She shook her head and quickly jumped out of the couch before she raced towards the hallway to her secret hiding place under the stairs.

"Oh boy, here we go." Haley laughed tiredly and leaned her head back.

"I can see that not much has changed within the last two weeks I've been away." Nathan chuckled and brushed his knuckles against her forehead. "You look tired, baby."

Haley let out a sigh and turned her head to look at him. "It's just been a long day, or two long weeks, actually." She gave him half a smile as he moved closer to her and placed his hand on her protruding belly, something he found himself doing a lot when she was pregnant.

"I'm sorry Hales. I know me being away for such long periods at a time is hard on you, having to deal with Lydia and Jamie all on your own after a day at work. Besides, you must be exhausted with the pregnancy on top of it all." He let his fingers run through her hair as he spoke softly, feeling really bad about the crazy work schedule he had at times.

"It's not that bad actually, except for the part where I miss you most of the time. But it's not like I'm alone with them all of the time. Joan has really been a God send, she's amazing with both of them, and she helps out a lot around the house. Then there's Lucas and Brooke…" She trailed off.

"I still feel really bad for leaving you alone with everything." Nathan sighed. "But I'll try to clear my schedule the best that I can, at least until the baby is born, so I'll be around more now with the exception of a few shorts trips every now and then." He added and offered her a smile when he felt her take a hold of his hand and intertwine their fingers.

"I'm just glad you're home again now." She breathed out and cupped his cheek, smiling as she inched her head closer to him.

Nathan closed his eyes for a moment and leaned into her touch, before he met her halfway and touched her lips with his own in a slow kiss.

He opened his eyes once they broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, caressing her belly with his hand.

"So…" He waited to continue until she'd opened her eyes again and met his gaze. "Should I get down to business and get our first born into bed?" He smirked.

Haley chuckled lightly and couldn't help but blush slightly by the husky look he gave her, making her shiver with anticipation. "If you don't mind? And then you'll get back here for a heated make-out session before we head upstairs…" She offered him with a sexy smile just as she pulled him back down to her and kissed him one more time.

She couldn't describe in words just how wonderful it felt to be close to Nathan again. Two weeks felt like an eternity when she couldn't see him, or touch him, or kiss him. At times she felt like she was going insane, and with her pregnancy hormones adding to it, their daily phone conversations were nothing but a cruel teaser to her - even though she cherished every second of them.

"Okay…" Nathan murmured against her lips. "I'm gonna get up now before I can't…" He closed his eyes and groaned by the loss he felt once he pulled away from her lips.

Haley brushed her hand across his chest as she breathed in heavily, her eyes still closed. "Mmm, you better. It might take some time to get her into bed." She laughed softly once she noticed Nathan's weary expression. "But who knows, maybe this is our lucky day." She quickly added in a lighter tone and started to get up on her feet, pushing lightly at Nathan's chest at the same time, so that he would get going too.

He sighed once again before standing up. "Alright, I'll see you in a few. Wish me luck." He chuckled as he walked towards the hallway to find their daughter and put her to bed.

* * *

><p>"This is nice." Haley sighed perfectly content while her body kept buzzing from the encounter they'd just had. Nathan was curled up behind her, holding her back close to his naked chest as his hand continued to stroke the side of her belly.<p>

"Mmmh, you wore me out Haley James." Nathan murmured into her hair before leaving a soft kiss at the side of her neck, causing a soft giggle to escape her.

She turned over slightly so she was facing him and put her hand at his chest, allowing her fingers to dance over his clammy skin until she cupped his face. "Well, I guess that's what happen when my husband is too damn irresistible for his own good." She whispered huskily and brushed her thumb over his cheekbone.

Nathan smirked at her and moved his hand over the curves of her body before he tangled his fingers in her hair. "I'm sorry babe, can't deny the fact that I am too hot for you to handle." He joked, causing them both to laugh.

"Oh, so modest." Haley mocked with a smile as she moved in and kissed him slowly. "I really have missed you, Nathan." She whispered against his lips, a slight vulnerability evident in her voice. "Promise you'll never leave me." She breathed out.

Nathan then cupped her face and looked into her eyes. "Hey. Where is this coming from?" He asked slightly concerned about the change in her demeanor.

Haley closed her eyes for a second and breathed in before she opened her eyes again and met his concerned gaze. "It's nothing, I just…" She paused and let out a sigh before she continued. "It's like I got a sense of how our lives would be without you when you were away these last two weeks, and I just couldn't breathe the other day thinking about it." She confessed honestly. She knew she was being overly dramatic about this feeling, and maybe she shouldn't have told him, but she had learned over the last few years after the incident with Damian, that being completely open and honest about her feelings and concerns had made her stronger, both as an individual and as a part of her relationship with Nathan. "I know I'm just being silly, but I just can't help that once things are a little rough, it's just there…"

Nathan felt his heart ache at her words and the tone of her voice. He hated how insecure she still was sometimes, but he was happy that she had learned to express her feelings rather than keep them to herself like she'd done in the past.

He leaned down and placed a soft kiss at her forehead before pulling back to meet her gaze. "Baby…" He sighed. "I'm sorry that me being away so much makes you feel this way. But let me tell you something. There's nothing in this entire world that would ever make me leave you or never come back home. I need you to know that. You're my world Hales. You and our children is all I need in my life to make me happy." He spoke softly while stroking her cheek with his fingertips. "The thought of walking through our front door knowing that you are all here is what gets me through every single day, Hales."

Haley felt a lump form in the back of her throat. She knew he'd never leave her, but it was always nice to get the reassurance when that uneasy, nagging feeling surfaced every now and then. She needed it, and she needed him. She always did. "I love you, Nathan." Her voice came out barley over a whisper as her emotions got the best of her.

"I love you, too. So much." He replied before he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. Feeling the slight desperation and need from Haley's lips seep into his body as their lips danced against each other.

He was about to deepen the kiss when he suddenly felt faint movements against his stomach. He pulled back slightly and met Haley's smiling gaze before they both moved their eyes down to her belly.

"I guess this is your sons way of telling you that you have nothing to worry about. He loves you too, Mommy." Nathan whispered as he placed his hand above their kicking son.

Haley felt her eyes water as she watched Nathan's expression turn into complete awe when the baby kicked again. She could never grow tired of that sight. It's what got her through the good and the bad days. Knowing that the man next to her was always gonna be there for her and their children, and love them without any conditions.

"I think he missed you too." She spoke quietly and giggled softly when she felt him starting to rumble around in there. "And it seems like he doesn't plan on sleeping anytime soon either." She laughed as their little boy kept squirming around like a gymnastic.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh out of pure happiness, both by feeling his son move around inside his wife's womb and by the sound of her delicate laughter filling the otherwise quiet room. He couldn't imagine being happier than he was right now, but he had a feeling that would only change for the better, once they finally got to meet the newest addition to their family. He simply couldn't wait.

"By the way, what are your plans for next week?" He asked with a tiny glint in his eyes.

Haley met his gaze with a question in her eyes. "What do you mean? You know I work on Monday, then I finally have a good ten days off." Her hand kept stroking his arm.

"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if you've made any plans that's all…" He was still looking at her with a weird expression, and Haley couldn't figure out why he was suddenly acting so strange.

"Well, no. But that's because I wanted to talk to you about it before I made any decisions. You know what day it is next weekend. Or did you forget?" She asked and pulled back slightly. She couldn't help but feel a little hurt if he had actually forgotten about next weekend. She quickly diverted her gaze from him and pulled her lip between her teeth in an effort to hide her disappointment.

"Hey…" Nathan started and cupped her cheek. "I could never forget that day, you know that." He spoke softly and smiled at her once she met his gaze again. "The only reason I asked was because I have to go away again on Tuesday morning and-"

"What!?" The good feeling she'd had a second ago was abruptly taken away from her. She pulled back and sat up against the headboard, pulling the sheets close to her chest. "Nathan, you just got back after almost three weeks away. What could possibly be more important than being home with your family for more than a couple of days?" She was suddenly angry and hurt. Yes, she knew his job came with a certain amount of responsibility and obligations, but he also had a responsibility here in this house, and right now she didn't know how much more she could take of him being away for longer periods at a time.

"Hales…" Nathan tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away from him and folded her arms across her chest.

"Baby, please listen to me. You're jumping to conclusions right now. I promise you this is not as bad as it sounds." He kept watching her as he spoke, but she refused to look at him. "Please look at me…" He held out his hand and carefully brushed his fingers against her naked arm.

Another minute passed before she reluctantly turned her head towards him with challenging look. She needed an explanation from him if he thought that the sound of him going away again didn't sound so bad. Because to her, it was the worst thing that could happen right now.

Nathan smiled carefully at her and pried one of her hands away from her chest. He kissed the top of her knuckles before he connected their gazes again. "The reason I asked if you had made any plans for next week, was because I'm leaving again on Tuesday morning, and I'll be gone for a week -"

"How can this possibly be a good thing?!" Haley raised her voice a little as she cut him off, her mood decreasing by every second that passed.

"Will you let me finish?" Nathan chuckled lightly. He understood her outburst, and he should probably feel a little bad for doing this to her, but he couldn't help himself.

"It's not funny, Nathan! I'm pregnant. With your child. And may I add that this one was not even close to be planned seeing as not that long ago I gave birth to your first son. I need you, Nathan! I'm tired and exhausted. I cannot -"

"Haley…" Nathan was unable to contain his laughter. She was absolutely adorable once she went on one of these rants, with the cutest pout there ever was. "I was going to say, that I won't be traveling alone this time." Haley continued to glare at him, still not getting where he was going with this. "And may I add, that it's not with work this time." He smiled at her while watching her closely.

Haley knit her eyebrows together and sent him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Nathan got up in a sitting position and scooted himself closer to Haley, twisting his body so he was facing her completely. "What I'm saying is, that I am going to whisk my wife away for the next week for a very much needed alone time. Just you and me."

He could see how her eyes changed, from angry and hurt to confused, before they were slowly starting to brim with tears as she finally got what he was saying.

"Nathan…" She whispered and closed her eyes. Her emotions were all over the place right now, and it was hard to control the tears from coming when she pretty much ran through the entire specter of emotions in just a few minutes. She couldn't believe that he would do something like this for her. She still felt like she needed to be a little mad at him for starting out the conversation like he did, but she knew she couldn't be mad at him for long periods at a time when he did something like this.

Nathan kept his eyes at her with a smile. She hadn't said anything in a while, and he wasn't sure what she was thinking at the moment with her eyes closed. "Hales, what do you say?" He asked and gently squeezed her hand.

She opened her eyes slowly and met his gaze. "You should be in trouble for pulling that kind of stunt on me." She playfully narrowed her eyes at him and smacked him lightly in the chest.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled. "I sometimes forget how quick you are to interrupt me, and I honestly thought I could finish my entire speech without you going all crazy on me." He winked and earned himself another smack in the chest.

"That was just mean." She pouted with a tiny smile hidden behind it.

"I didn't mean to upset you, and I'm sorry, again."

"You're forgiven. I think." Haley pretended to ponder and suddenly felt her heart rate pick up in speed when Nathan started to lean in. She bit down on her lip as she felt his scent invading her senses, making her mind all hazy. "So, what do you say? Wanna come with me?" He flashed her his sexy grin.

She palmed his cheeks before she closed the gap between them and connected their lips. "What do you think?" She mumbled against his lips and smiled when she felt him pull the sheets away from her body. His mean joke already forgotten by now.

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe that we're actually here." Haley said in awe as they walked hand in hand towards the Eiffel Tower. "Thank you. Again." She added and smiled up at him.<p>

Nathan returned her smile. "And again, you're welcome." He gently squeezed her hand. "I know you've always wanted to come here. Besides, this country holds a very important moment for me and our relationship; when we both opened up to each other and finally agreed to face everything together. So I figured this city would be the perfect place to spend our anniversary."

Haley tried not to think about the past too much because it held a lot of painful memories. Memories she wish she could forget. However, the moments of Nathan and the way he never gave up on her throughout the whole ordeal with Damian were thankfully the memories that stood out the most. She didn't know where she would be right now if it wasn't for him. He saved her from Damian and from herself. And she would be forever grateful for that.

"Thank you, Nathan. You know how much this means to me. I mean, this country, and especially Nice, will always have a special place in my heart. Together with you." She halted and tugged slightly at his hand. When he stopped and turned to face her, she raised on her tiptoes and kissed him softly before she pulled back with a smile and continued walking - her hand never leaving his.

After standing in line for a while, they finally made it to the top of the tower. They had stopped at every level and walked around to take in as much of the breathtaking view as possible. It was packed with people, and the top level was smaller than the other levels, but they had managed to find a spot somewhat free of people. They stood in front of the security fence, almost leaning into it as they gazed out over the city.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nathan asked behind her, tightening his arms around her.

Haley couldn't help but smile by his constant consideration for her. "As long as I don't look directly down, and have you to hold onto me so the wind won't suck me through this fence, then I'll be fine." She chuckled. Haley had always been afraid of heights. But she had promised herself that she wasn't going to let that stop her from experiencing the top of the Eiffel Tower. The only time she had been struggling and had to turn herself into Nathan, was when they were in the glass elevator and she'd been looking down as they went up.

"Oh, don't worry Hales. You won't fit through those small holes with that belly." Nathan teased with a chuckle.

Haley turned her head and mocked gasped. "What are you insinuating? That I'm fat?"

"You're not fat. You're pregnant. That's two very different things. But let's not ruin our anniversary with a stupid argument, okay? You know I don't think you look fat." Nathan mentally scolded himself for making that comment, when he knew how she tended to be with those pregnancy hormones shooting around.

Haley let out a small sigh and placed her hands on top of Nathan's that were resting on her belly. "I know." She said and looked down at herself. "But I'm pretty sure I'm much bigger with this one than with the other two. I already feel like a whale." She sighed again and made a pout.

"Stop it. You were perfect with Lydia and Jamie, and you're every bit as perfect now." He assured and kissed her cheek softly. "Besides, the bigger you get, the taller our son is going to be." He quickly added in a teasing tone and earned himself a swat in his shoulder.

"Only you could make a comment like that." Haley softly shook her head with a smile. "I don't know how I've been able to put up with you. I think I might have to reconsider the vow I gave you two years ago." She teased back with a chuckle.

Nathan let out a tiny laugh and squeezed her lightly in response. "You wouldn't. Then who would make sure the wind doesn't wipe you off your feet and fly you over Paris?" He whispered in a light tone and nuzzled his lips against her cheek. "By the way, are you ready for your first surprise or gift?" He mumbled against her skin as he quickly changed the subject.

Haley turned her head to look at him as she stopped laughing. "First?" She asked as she slowly turned into a wide smile.

"Well, yeah. This is just a small thing before the actual gift later tonight." He winked and reached into his pocket.

Haley followed his movements with her eyes and got even more curious when she saw what he was holding in his hand.

Nathan smiled when he saw the look on her face. He knew he needed to explain this to her. "Come on, let's head back towards the entrance." He said and took her hand without any further explanation.

"Nathan? What is this for?" Haley asked as she followed him. When they were a few feet away from the door leading in and out of the top level, Nathan halted and faced her as he held up the tiny padlock.

"You see this?" Haley nodded, still not getting it. "Here, take a closer look at it." He said and then gave her the padlock.

Haley held it up close and noticed Nathan's handwriting on it. It said _N + H. Always & Forever _and today's date.

Once Haley had read the padlock and moved her gaze back at Nathan, he smiled at her. "And now we're going to lock it onto the fence right here, together with the others. That way, everyone will know that we were here on this day. And we will always be a part of the Eiffel Tower."

Haley bit her lip and felt her heart swell. She couldn't believe how sweet he was, and on top of that, how he came up with this in the first place. She would never even have thought of something like this. "This is really sweet, Nathan." She smiled and felt a single tear escape the corner of her eye as they placed the lock onto the fence together.

"Happy anniversary, Hales. I love you."

Haley quickly wiped away the tear with the back of her hand. "I love you too, Nathan." She met his gaze as she leaned in. "Happy anniversary." She whispered right before she connected their lips in a long, tender kiss.

* * *

><p>Nathan stepped out of the shower while towel drying his torso. Once he was out of the cubicle, his eyes caught the sight of Haley in front of the sink, applying body lotion to her arms. She had stepped out of the shower a few minutes earlier so she would have enough time to get ready for their dinner that was in about an hour. She had made it clear to him that she wanted to look nice for their anniversary dinner, so he would have to keep his hands off of her until after they got back from the restaurant. She didn't have time for round two, no matter how much they both wanted to.<p>

Nathan halted his ministrations with the towel and walked over to her until he came to stand behind her. When she moved her hands down to her belly, he grabbed the bottle of lotion from the counter top and applied some in his hands. "Here, let me." He spoke low and smiled at her when he met her gaze through the mirror.

Haley didn't even have time to respond before she felt his hands on her skin. He started in slow circles around her belly, making sure he got every little inch of it. It didn't take long before she was lost in the sensation of what he was doing to her. She closed her eyes and leaned her back into his chest. She couldn't help but let out an audible moan when he moved his hands along the curves of her body until he reached her breasts. "Nathan." She whispered and forced her eyes open, only to meet his lustful eyes as he continued to massage her sensitive breasts. And even though it had only been less than ten minutes since their last encounter, she could feel her body starting to crave him again. Especially when he was doing wonders to her breasts while she felt his hardness against her lower back.

"We don't have time…" She trailed off. Her voice was weak as her breathing started to increase with every movement Nathan was doing.

"I want you again." His husky tone made her entire body shiver and caused her to arch her back further into him. "You, Haley James Scott, are pretty hard to resist." He whispered right before his lips connected with the skin on the side of her neck.

Haley leaned her head to the side to give him better access, and moved her hand to the back of his head. Her body was on autopilot right now, and there was nothing she could do to stop this from happening.

"Make it fast." She breathed out when Nathan then trailed his hands down to her hips. Her hands then moved to the edge of the counter top to support herself, while Nathan quickly positioned himself behind her before he eased himself into her, causing both of them to cry out with pleasure.

Nathan didn't waste any time as he started to thrust himself in and out of her. Originally, he hadn't meant for this to happen again right now. He was only supposed to help her with the lotion, something he often did and actually liked doing. It was a nice, intimate moment they shared together. But there was just something about her today. Maybe it was because it was their anniversary or because they were in a foreign, romantic country, or maybe it was both. He didn't know. But then add her naked, pregnant body to it, and he was a goner. It also didn't help the fact that she was in her extreme hormonal state when, at times, she was actually more horny than he was. So it was basically nothing either of them could do, except to simply surrender and let their bodies take control.

"God, Nathan. I'm almost -" Her voice got caught in the back of her throat when he suddenly hit her deep. She gripped the edge of the counter top harder when she felt she was about to reach her peak. She then added one last voluntary clench on the next upstroke, causing Nathan to groan. His heavy breath hit the skin on the back of her shoulder, where he left small, open mouthed kisses every now and then.

"Fuck." Was the last thing she heard, before it all exploded and her body trembled with an intense pleasure. Nathan followed shortly after and stilled his movements and loosened his grip around her waist. They both stayed in that position until their heavy, ragged breaths was somewhat under control. Nathan then placed another lingering kiss at her shoulder blade before he hesitantly pulled himself out of her.

Haley was still trembling when she felt the loss of him as he pulled out of her. She then raised her gaze to the mirror and met Nathan's blue orbs. She gave him a smile before she slowly turned around to face him.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked and cupped her cheek.

Haley palmed his hand on her cheek and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just gonna need a minute." She sighed. "And you need to stay away from me until after dinner, okay? I can't control my body right now whenever you're around me. It's frustrating." She mock pouted, causing Nathan to laugh out loud.

"I can't help it if I'm too sexy for you." He raised one of his eyebrows and winked at her.

"Oh boo. Just get out of here you, and put some God damn clothes on." She gave him a chaste kiss before she pushed lightly at his chest and motioned for him to go and get ready.

* * *

><p>"Are you excited to see Daddy?" Haley cooed at her three month old son as he was laying on the changing table. He flailed his tiny arms around in response and gurgled happily as he now had gotten a clean diaper. "So am I." She smiled at him and picked him up in her arms. She held him to her chest as she walked out of the nursery and down the hall towards the stairs. She had barley started the descend when her phone started to ring. She hurried down and into the kitchen where her phone was. She smiled when she saw who it was and answered immediately.<p>

"I swear to God, Hales, if the guys are not back within the hour, I'm gonna make sure Jake never gets access to this ride ever again!"

Peyton was on the other line, and she was obviously not in a good mood. "Well, hello to you too, Peyton." Haley chuckled. "Glad to hear you're still alive."

"Yeah well, I might just not be if this is going to continue for much longer now."

"I'm sure it'll be any day now. Just try not to think about it too much, even though I know it's hard. And I'm sure the guys will be home any minute according to the last text Nathan sent me." She tried to calm and comfort her best friend as much as she could. But she knew very well, that it didn't really matter what others told her when she was nine months pregnant and more than ready to get the baby out. It was only three months ago since she'd last been there herself, so she understood where Peyton was coming from.

"It was just unecessary of Jake to leave for a week now when the due date is so close." Peyton sighed in the other end. "What if he'd missed it?"

"Tell me about it. Nathan and I actually had a fight about this trip right before he left. It's hard enough with a three month old who's up every two hours, but then there's Lydia and Jamie as well. And Jamie is in that age where he needs to be watched all the time." Haley complained to her friend. "I just wish he could understand how exhausting it is to deal with three children alone for longer periods at a time. I'm tired like _all_ the time, Peyton." She sighed.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I realize now that I have no right to complain. Not even a little bit. You know I would've been there to help you out if I could, right?"

"Yes, but don't even worry about that. I have Joan here a few hours every day, which helps a lot. All you need to think about is taking good care of yourself and my goddaughter."

"Okay, I'll try m-" Peyton stopped mid-sentence and paused for a second. "Oh, Jake is home. Is it okay if we finish this conversation tomorrow? I need to go smack my husband." Peyton joked before they agreed to talk again tomorrow and said their goodbyes.

Haley had just sat down on the couch and was preparing for another feeding round when she heard the front door open. It didn't take long before she saw her husband entering the living room with a bouquet of white lilies and a smile on his handsome face. She felt a tiny flutter in her stomach by the sight of him, like always, and smiled tiredly back at him as he sat down next to them.

"Hi." He put the flowers on the coffee table before he leaned in and pecked her lips when she turned to face him. He then looked down at his son cradled in his wife's arms as he was latched on to her nipple. It really was a beautiful sight. "How are you holding up?" He returned his gaze to Haley. He could see how tired and exhausted she was, and he felt extremely bad about being away from them for an entire week, especially when Haley had expressed to him how she felt about it right before he had to leave.

Haley placed her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh. "We're okay, I guess. We missed you." She whispered and closed her eyes when she felt Nathan place a kiss on her forehead.

"The other two asleep?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, I managed to get them into bed while William was napping. Jamie tried his best to put up a fight though." She sighed with a tiny chuckle.

"I'm sorry I had to leave, Hales. I know how hard it is for you to be alone with all three of them."

She sat back up and looked at him with tearful eyes. "I need you for this, Nathan. I can't do this alone." The exhaustion and vulnerability in her voice cut through him.

"I know, baby. And I'm going to be home more from now on and help you out. You're not alone in this." He spoke softly as he watched Haley cover herself up once she was done breastfeeding William.

"Are you full, sweetie?" She asked him as she held him up in front of her. "Here, you go to Daddy and burp." She then added and popped a kiss on his cheek before she handed him over to Nathan.

"How's my little Jakey boy doing?" Nathan cooed to his son, who they decided to name after Jake. It hadn't been easy to find a name that fit with Jake as a middle name, but eventually they both agreed on William Jake Scott.

"I really need that to be true, Nathan. I've barley slept since he was born, and I don't know how much more I can take." She had heard this before. The promise that he would be around more and spend less time away. All it was to her was empty promises, and she wasn't sure if he would actually do something about it this time either.

Nathan patted William's back softly while he laid over his shoulder to make him burp. "I promise you, it is. Jake and I talked about it while we were away. And we decided to hire a couple of more pilots to take most of our workload, since Jake is also going to be busy soon with a newborn."

"Really? You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear this." Haley smiled and already felt a little lighter by the thought. If only he'd go through with it.

"Really, Hales. I know I've made promises before that I haven't been able to keep, but we're ready to place an ad tomorrow already, so this time it's going to happen." He reassured her and reached over to wipe away the silent tear that rolled down her cheek.

Haley pulled her lip between her teeth and closed her eyes for a second. "Thank you." She sighed in relief and smiled at him.

Nathan returned her smile and caressed her cheek. "Why don't I put this guy down for the night and you head straight to bed yourself? You need to get as much sleep as you can get. I'll be right in." He said when he saw her let out a long yawn. "Then we'll talk more about this later, okay?" He added as he got up from the couch.

"That sounds amazing actually." Haley yawned again and got up on her feet. "Don't be too long, I don't know how long I can manage to stay awake." She smiled and raised on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on her sons head. "Sleep tight, baby. I love you so much."

She then turned to Nathan and snaked her arm around his shoulder. She kissed him deeply while her fingers raked through the hair at the back of his head. "I'm serious, don't be too long. I don't want to fall asleep yet another night without you next to me." She whispered when she pulled back.

* * *

><p>Upstairs, Haley was curled up in bed, fighting sleep as she waited for Nathan to join her. She had used her time in the bathroom suite to make the time pass so that Nathan would be back before she fell asleep. It usually didn't take long to put William down. He was an easy little, boy, who already loved his sleep. But she figured he'd also wanted to check in on Lydia and Jamie after a week away from them before he joined her, so it would probably take a little longer than it normally did.<p>

Nathan walked over to the bed and noticed Haley curled up close to his pillow with her eyes closed. He climbed under the sheets and leaned over to place a kiss at her temple. "Are you sleeping?" He whispered and placed his head on the pillow, facing her. He didn't want to wake her up in case she was already asleep. He continued watching her and smiled softly to himself. He was so proud of her. The way she handled things around here when he was away, with two toddlers and an infant, amazed him. She was a superwoman. But even superwomen had a limit when it came to sleep, and it looked like Haley had reached hers. He reached over and carefully tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"No…" Her low voice suddenly pulled Nathan out of his thoughts. Her eyes were still closed, but she had a weak smile that accompanied her beautiful, tired face.

Nathan brushed his knuckles over her cheek. "Just go back to sleep." He said in a soothing voice.

"No." She forced her eyes open and connected their gazes. "Not yet. I just want to lay here with you for a moment before I do." She whispered and snuggled herself closer to him so she could lay her head on his chest. She draped her arm across his chest and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, as Nathan's arm wrapped around her to hold her close to him.

A tiny shiver went through him as he felt her hot breath against the side of his neck. He turned his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "It's good to be back in our bed again." He sighed contentedly and felt Haley cross her leg over his while rubbing her foot up and down his shin.

"Mmmh…talk to me. Tell me something you haven't already told me."

Nathan let out a chuckle at the way she was trying to keep herself awake. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be too long before she was out like a light, but he didn't mind talking to her until she was. "Well, let's see…" He started, raking his mind for a topic of conversation. "Oh yeah. Mom called me earlier today and told me that they're coming to town tomorrow to stay for the weekend. They're going to stay with Lucas and Brooke, but she told me that they're coming here for dinner tomorrow evening. And I'm pretty sure that means the entire gang." Nathan chuckled. His mother had been pretty adamant on the phone about wanting to see her grandchildren, it had obviously been too long since the last time.

"Nathan…" Haley sighed. "I don't think I have enough energy to cook for an entire army right now." She tilted her head up to look at him.

"You don't have to worry about that. Mom told me she would bring everything and do the cooking. She knows that you have enough on your plate with keeping up with the kids. That's why she wanted to do this for us. For you." He smiled down at her.

Haley moved her head closer to him. "Well, in that case, a family dinner tomorrow night sounds great." She smiled back before she closed the remaining gap between them and connected their lips. She moved her lips slowly and tenderly against his for several seconds, simply soaking up the feeling of being so close to him again. That special connection they shared was something she would never grow tired of. And no matter how exhausted she was, or how mad she was at him for being away for longer periods at a time, she would always love the way she felt every single time he came back home to them. It was like she was falling in love with him all over again, and that was something she knew would remain for the rest of their lives together.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; I bet you're all pretty shocked that I suddenly decided to post an epilogue for this story when it's been a while since I finished it. But this was an idea that came to me right before the holidays. And I have to say, that it's a miracle that I actually managed to get it done with the limited time and energy I have for writing these days. I even realized as I was writing this last part, that it would've been enough material/ideas to extend it and make a sequel out of it. However, seeing as my life is pretty hectic nowadays, and it porbably won't slow down once I graduate, I just can't commit to another long chapter story - unfortunately. But I'm glad I got around to write this last piece for this story, and I hope you all liked it.

A huge thanks to all my faithful readers and supporters. I always appreciate your kind words!


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